Possibilities
by InvaderMads45321
Summary: Johnny and Madeleine are 'legally' married and must learn the way of a married life along with being given 'options'. Can Madeleine survive being married to a homicidal maniac? Twist in the plot…HORRIBLE summary, relatively good story. 'T' for romance.
1. Chapter 1

(MADELEINE'S POV)

91 lbs.

The sun had started to set, falling behind the city and lighting the sky in a mixture of crimson and dark violet hues. It, being the beginning of spring, increased the temperature, melting the snow and ice on the roadways. Traffic clogged the streets; stupid drivers crashing and creating accidents due to impatience and road rage.

Homes; shelter to hide families that quarrel, laugh, and watch reality TV shows on their large flat-screen, caught up in the drama of celebrities and fortune filled lives. Skyscrapers; licking the clouds and protecting the offices of popular companies and corporations which drive the employees from their sanity. A single cliff; a spot of complete relaxation, watching the city in all its arbitrary fury. A place to flee the society in which some specific humans were forced to live in.

Below the precipice of the cliff stood a small, excluded church**, holding the beginning of a wedding ceremony. Shaking with nervousness in one of the front rooms, stood a woman dressed in a beautiful, formal wedding dress. Her dark blue eyes contrasted against her pale face and her jet black hair which curtained the sides of her face; glossy dark curls hanging down her cheekbones while her bangs were pinned away.

Looking at herself in the mirror one last time, she huffed out a shaky sigh as she studied her gown. White; the color of innocence and purity clothed the base as it hung closely to her figure. It was a strapless dress styled in a corset-like fashion. Small, silver colored beads dotted floral designs along the bust of the dress, ending at her waist where the bottom section started. The lower section of the gown flowed down to her feet, but didn't poof out like a ball gown. More beads, but darker colored, weaved through a floral patterned lace; gorgeous, but simple.

She had NEVER dressed up this formally or took this much time to get ready for a ceremony such as this. She never even expected to be proposed to anyone, much less a man with homicidal tendencies. But Johnny wasn't the kind to marry and kill his betrothed to inherit the money.

No, Johnny had no such interest in material desires like that. Johnny only killed to exterminate the flaws in the society; but this was beside the point.

Johnny, who had wanted nothing, absolutely nothing to do with her from the very start he saw her, had grown a friendship with her, and had come to love her, just as she, Madeleine, had done with him. Over time, their awkward friendship grew more and more stable, forming into something stronger yet.

Of course, Johnny had left her for Madeleine's own safety, leaving Maddie absolutely alone with nothing but the shrill voice echoing in her head. Only months later did Johnny and Madeleine finally meet again, resolving the conflict of separation and growing closer yet.

As mentally crazy as Johnny could get, Madeleine could tolerate him and deal with the useless and unnecessary murders that he caused. Maybe, if she was lucky, Maddie could even keep him from slaughtering someone, and keep him sane.

Maddie knew that she could help Johnny, and he, with her anorexia and slight depression. It was a screwed and questionable relationship between them, but they didn't particularly care what they looked to the public surroundings.

Looking to the clock on the wall, Madeleine narrowed her eyes and took another breath to settle her nerves as she exited the room, entering the large, mostly vacant room before her.

Standing in the pews were the remnants of her and Johnny's family. Of course, she couldn't really verify if they truly WERE his relatives or not, but this didn't matter.

More friends of Madeleine's family had come along with her own Aunt and Uncle whom she had run away from only a year and a half ago. She couldn't recognize many others inside the pews, other than one, specific child who stood in the room, several feet beside her.

His large eyes were terrified, but filled with awe as he looked up and spotted her. His black, naturally straight hair hung around his face while he wore a small tuxedo with a small black bowtie; a rather cute, but handsome appearance for a six-year old child.

"Squee," the child squeaked out quietly as he looked Madeleine over with interest in his eyes.

Smiling with surprise, Maddie walked over to him and placed one hand on her hip, curiosity biting at her tongue, "Todd! I didn't expect to see you here; did Johnny invite you?"

Todd nodded his head, still in a trance as his eyes became fixated on her face, hesitant to give another answer before saying, "I-I'm supposed to be the ring b-SQUEE!"

The piano had started, startling the child before going on to the refrain of the song, stating for Madeleine to get into place and start to walk down the aisle with her uncle.

Since her father had died, both Johnny and Madeleine decided that it would be a fine idea to have her uncle take the place and walk her down to the front, where Johnny stood.

Waving back to Squee, Madeleine hurried to the end pew and hooked her arm with her uncle whom smiled widely with honor before they both began to walk, terrified, yet completely excited to begin the wedding ceremony.

* * *

><p>(JOHNNY'S POV)<p>

Looking to the end of the aisle, Johnny swallowed while he pressed his lips into a thin line, nervous and completely wary of the fact that Madeleine's family stood in the pews, looking him up and down with growing curiosity and criticism.

Standing beside him, was a man of religious value, whom was to marry them correctly through religious vows and statements. Of course, Johnny wasn't very fond of any religion, stating the fact that he had already met God, disliking the fact that he hadn't been very courteous or kind to him at all.

Satan, however, being his natural naïve self, answered Johnny all of his questions with rude, but truthful remarks. This, too, kept Johnny from allowing himself any religion, disliking them both with taste.

Of course, the meetings with God and Satan could just as easily have been a dream, allowing Johnny to sleep-shave his hair off and leave him mostly bald except for the two bits of hair on his head.

He grew some of his hair back, however, over the time that he had resurrected/ awoken from the dream. He cut off the two tufts of hair that grew awkwardly from his scalp and made it look decent, brushing it to the side for the special occasion.

Accompanying his specified hairstyle was a formal, black tailcoat that hung over a white, long sleeved shirt, black bowtie and ironed, black slacks. Johnny didn't exactly care for wedding traditions when it came to shoes, so he kept his natural, classic steel-toed boots.

He had, before the beginning of the ceremony, quarreled with Reverend Meat about his clothing style and shoes, seeing that Meaty-guy wanted to keep it as traditional as possible. It put Johnny on edge, leaving the decoration, sitting alone at the house while he drove to the church, fuming and pondering over the argument before he cooled off as he walked to the center of the church, getting in position for the event.

Looking about the room, Johnny let his mind travel to Madeleine and how she actually thought about all this. Johnny didn't exactly propose the way he should have, kneeling on one knee, ring to present while they stood in a rather romantic spot. No; it was at his very own home after Madeleine had been rescued from a rape attempt.

Johnny was sure of his choice, ready to propose, but was Madeleine? Did she truly feel the same? Was Johnny, himself, ready to care for someone so passionately through marriage?

The piano had started, playing a soft melody, beginning the 'Wedding March' before his eyes traveled to the end of the aisle, where his fiancé stood in a gorgeous white wedding gown. No, Johnny was not the kind to ponder on looks or attractiveness; he always based someone on their quality of mind and kindness.

But seeing her dressed up so beautifully, he guessed he was supposed to be entranced and fixated on her. Madeleine NEVER wore a dress around him; never, so this was completely new to him.

White lace trimmed the bottom of her dress as intricate beaded designs dotted the white fabric. A thin, silver ribbon traced the top of the strapless bust while more floral lace and beaded patterns flowed down the dress. Long, but thin, white laced gloves covered her arms, hiding the cuts and scars that lined her thin forearms.

Stuck in his trance, Johnny couldn't help but stare as his mind wandered back to one of his very first memories with Madeleine; a flashback pounding at the sides of his head.

Warm, summer night, sitting on the cliff with a few fireflies here and there that dotted the thin, nighttime air around them. Simple small talk; chatting with a normal, rather depressed woman about life. Secrets and exposure consuming their words as they whispered about their past years.

The memory stopped abruptly as Madeleine and Johnny locked eyes, pushing his breath out of him as he smiled awkwardly but proudly, locking arms with Madeleine through tradition before both of them looked to the minister with nervous, but bright faces.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony."

Never, in all of Johnny's dreams, would he have thought of marrying anyone. Always, he thought in bias, that people were ignorant morons who never gave even the slightest amount of care to worry or think about someone other than themselves.

The majority of humans he met and had killed were wretched maggots who did nothing but criticize and dwell on shit. That is, until he met Maddie, whom was an exception to all this, being completely considerate and sincere in her actions. Yes, she may have had an argument or two with Johnny, but it wasn't worth killing her. She may cut herself and waste away through anorexia, but those were mental issues that could easily be fixed through care.

Care…

The priest went on, rambling on more traditional sayings before he pronounced in a loud voice, "we shall start the vows."

Johnny then faced himself to Madeleine, who turned to face him with a smile on her face.

Turning to Johnny, the priest asked, "do you, Johnny, take Madeleine, your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, for sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

Turning to face Maddie, the priest said again, "do you, Madeleine, take Johnny, your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, for sickness and in heath, as long as you both shall live?"

Madeleine's smile grew a slight bit as her eyes began to shine with tears.

"I do."

"Who is in possession of the rings?"

It was then that nervous Squee came up from behind, offering a small pillow with two rings sitting beside the other. Johnny picked up Madeleine's while Maddie picked up Johnny's ring. Studying the pair they noted that they were simple gold bands that wove around a small, silver ring.

Neither Johnny nor Madeleine wanted a huge, magnificent occasion with the whole city attending the ceremony; no large reception or rented DJ with a dance, no bridesmaids, no groomsmen, just a simple, sweet wedding.

And so, the ceremony continued, both Johnny and Madeleine bearing their rings together and sharing the kiss that bonded them through forever; a dreamscape within reality itself.

Perfect.

At least, that's what they thought.

* * *

><p>(AUTHOR'S NOTE:)<p>

…semi-cliff hanger at the end…

Ahh, the wedding ceremony. I cut it off short because I've only a limited amount of info on marriage ceremonies.

Don't'. Blame. Me.

Yes… I love that sappy quote at the end, and I know you do to. Johnny and his OOCness… but now, I don't really care how changed he's gotten. I'll bring back some of his originality through time, but don't start getting all mad for the romance. You had already been warned about the romance, so no flames…

(*) I apologize for those who are not Christian, but I am a proud Christian and believe to an extent that weddings should be held in a church. I truly do apologize for the inconvenience to those of you who disagree to my choice, but the 'religious' bit of the story is mostly just in this one. (please, if you would, to be courteous to the other readers, don't mention religion or any such topics in the reviews, thank you!)

Ah… cute. Todd was the ring bearer.

In the next chapter, I won't add a reception, just a family meet and greet thing at the natural café Johnny and Madeleine had went to in the first and second story.

Speaking of, if you haven't read my previous stories to the trilogy, here are the titles.

1: An Unstable Friendship

2: Finding Beauty in Negative Places

(READ THEM FIRST PLEASE! Things will make MUCH better sense if you read them first.)

Disclaimers: I don't own the 'Wedding March', Johnny or any JTHM characters such as Squee/Todd. I only own Madeleine and her family.

And… I guess that's it.

Review… please?

"WELL FUCK YOU MR. BEAR! YOU SPEAK LIES! LIIIIES! STUFFED WITH PURE VENOM, YOU VILE, LINT INFESTED BASTARD!"

-Johnny C./ Jhonen Vasquez


	2. Chapter 2

(JOHNNY'S POV)

Standing outside of the church, Johnny and Madeleine stood together as the stars began to shine in the sky; diamond jewels dotting the dark vastness above them. A cool breeze blew through the air while invisible crickets chirped in the distance.

The remnants of their families and other guests flooded out of the building, some walking over to the newlywed couple while some went to drive off to finish other business. But, to Johnny's disappointment, came Madeleine's family rushing towards them with interest sparking in their eyes.

Cautious of Johnny's actions, Nny circled one arm around her waist in a comforting, yet protective way as Madeleine's aunt and uncle grew closer yet to them. Smiling, Johnny pushed away the shyness as he studied their warm, welcoming faces.

"Hey, Aunt Darla; it was so nice of you to come to our wedding!"

Now that she was closer now, Johnny could get a better view of her face. She had little to no wrinkles lining her naturally pale face as she smiled widely, warmth lighting up in her eyes.

"Oh, Madeleine, darling, you look absolutely GORGEOUS in that dress! I couldn't be more proud of you!"

Letting go of Madeleine, Nny continued to study more of the few members that came with Madeleine's aunt as Maddie shared hugs with the rest of her family.

"So, this is the famous Johnny, huh," Darla took Johnny's hand, introducing herself through a handshake and smile before continuing, "you are a VERY lucky man to find a fine young woman such as Madeleine, here. Hmm… I am extremely interested in your pick Madeleine," she looked over to Maddie with a sly look in her eye before smiling with contentment and backing away for Johnny to meet the others.

Spotting her uncle and a male teenager with platinum blonde hair, Johnny grew a little tense.

Her uncle had both a grey mustache and beard which seemed trimmed down and fashioned as a goatee. He was a fairly heavy-set man, wearing a long-sleeved white button down shirt and slacks with black loafers; the typical businessman.

The boy, being of about sixteen years of age, seemed to have no interest in anything at all except for Madeleine. He, too, wore a long-sleeved shirt, but it was a faded blue color, and he wore regular, faded jeans. Finishing his look were a pair of black, Van's sneakers. But what threw Johnny off was the fact that the kid was staring at Madeleine's breasts.

This was going to be a long night…

* * *

><p>(3 hours later; after the family reunion)<p>

The warm stretch of light from the lamps that hung over the variety of booths in the café bathed the room in a milky glow as Madeleine's relatives slowly, but surely, picked away, one by one from the booth, giving warm hugs and final presents to them before stating their goodbyes. But one person, however, stayed, mingling inside the room until the other two relatives had retreated to their car.

Now that it was after the wedding, Madeleine had changed into more comfortable and suiting clothes of her choice, being a simple, thin grey t-shirt, dark blue, ripped jeans and a studded choker, adding small, one-inch heels to her look.

"Well, it was an honor to meet you Johnny. Take care of her; and Johnny," Darla took Nny's wrist and pulled him aside, allowing a small area for a private chat before whispering to him in an anxious voice, "I need you to promise me to watch Madeleine's mental stability. Ever since she lost her parents when she was a young child, she's never acted so…different. But when she looks at you, it seems as if she's forgotten the memory and you've mended her. Keep her sane, and keep her safe."

Looking away, she let go of Johnny's arm and walked to the exit of the café before glancing back to the newly wed couple with an ounce of hope shining in her eyes. Smiling, she left, leaving both Johnny and Madeleine alone; in peace.

Johnny stared at the door for another five seconds to be sure that she wouldn't change her mind and come back in to talk once more before Johnny turned around to find Madeleine walk to the bar and sit on a stool. Looking to her feet, Madeleine sighed and kicked off her heels before setting her feet on the cool, iron bar that propped the stool up.

Doing the same, Johnny sat in the stool next to her and put his head in his hands before he said, "so…. That's your family, huh," before chuckling and bringing his eyes over to Madeleine who smirked in response.

"Well… I can definitely see why you took the chance to run when you could," remembering the fact that Madeleine had run from her family, and had tried helplessly, to run from reality. No, her family was not a horrible family, but it was extremely expectant and criticized even the slightest detail of a person. Johnny had, thankfully, tolerated the noise that came from their mouths as they socialized with him, judging and criticizing the fact that he was a comic-writer for Happy Noodle Boy.

They suggested that he eat more, considering the fact that he was so skinny; they disliked the fact that he was so pale and also suggested the stupidity of getting a tan, or simply use a tanning booth.

It stressed Johnny, knowing that most of the society had judged others by their appearance, approving their choice of style, or giving out snide remarks about their social life.

Meaningless; endless possibilities with no reason benefiting them at all.

Madeleine simply nodded her head before pulling out her billfold and pulling out a fifty dollar bill to pay for the money they owed. Her family was ignorant enough to not even pay for themselves.

But, now that she was of age, she had inherited all of her parent's belongings, including the money that they had, and stocked it all in her bank account, leaving her fairly wealthy and able to live freely.

"The waiter can keep the change," Madeleine said as she opened her eyes, her pupils large from lack of sleep and shining with tears as she looked to Johnny, "c'mon. I want to get away for a bit and I know the perfect place."

Getting up, Madeleine stumbled from her sore feet before grabbing onto the ledge of the counter and steadying herself. Slipping her shoes back on, Madeleine frowned with discomfort before grabbing Johnny's hand and leading him out with their wrapped present.

* * *

><p>(15 minutes later)<p>

(MADELEINE'S POV)

Dragging herself out of the Prius, Madeleine shut off the ignition and walked out onto the grassy cliff edge. Everything was the same since they last were there; fireflies dotting the air around them, a black, vast sky with endless stars stretched over their heads as a large, polluted city laid out below them.

A dead tree hung off the precipice of the cliff, it's roots clinging onto the edge as it's branches swayed in the wind. A small, decayed fence lined the side of the cliff but deteriorated into nothing, leaving a large, open area to jump off of; that is, if you were mental enough and had the guts to kill yourself.

Strolling over to the open edge, Madeleine took off her shoes, gritting her teeth as relief washed to her ankles before sitting down in a criss-crossed fashion. Remembering that Johnny had accompanied her, she glanced back but immediately got the result of being put into Nny's lap along with skinny, but protective arms circling around her.

Narrowing her eyes at Johnny, she stuck her tongue out at him jokingly before retreating her eyes to the stars above them, leaning her head against his shoulder. She had never felt this content around Johnny, never felt so empty _without_ him and be completely satisfied _with_ him. She couldn't quite comprehend why Johnny accepted and gave into emotions, much less fall in love with her instead of someone worthy. She couldn't understand why she didn't care whether or not he was a homicidal maniac, yet she felt for him all the same.

So many questions, so many endless answers.

"Johnny," Madeleine started quietly as she gazed at the sky, "do you remember… so long ago, when you killed the man who belittled me on the street corner? The man who laughed and criticized me for walking into a street lamp?"

Maddie scoffed at the memory before feeling Johnny's body tense at the topic.

"Yes…"

"Do you remember, after you defended me and killed him, drained him of his blood? Do you remember running from me," Madeleine continued in a shallow whisper, swallowing the lump that rose in her throat as she, herself, fought back the flashback that swam in her eyes.

Johnny answered once again with a soft, "yes…"

"Do you remember when I followed you, found you at your house, kneeling before the Wall, and trying yet another attempt to kill me? Do you remember when I explained to you why I stopped cutting myself? Can you remember?"

His grip on her had tightened just the slightest bit before he replied.

"I was your reason."

Madeleine pulled away from Johnny's grasp, shifting off of him and lying down, face up to the stars above before taking a deep breath and signaling for Johnny to do the same. Fingering her wedding ring, Madeleine dwelled on her choice of words before beginning in a weak voice, "Johnny C., can you remember back to when I had first met you, in your torture chambers, hanging from a chain completely defenseless? Do you remember the talk we had, when you asked me for my view upon suicide, and do you remember the answer I gave you? Can you look back to that?"

Maddie's lip trembled as she lost herself in the open sky above. She didn't deserve to be married or cared for. She didn't deserve a man, didn't deserve her job; her life.

She didn't deserve a single bit of it; but as unfair as it was, her strange, unsettling fantasy took place, letting her lie under a beautiful star-lit sky with her husband as tears streamed down the sides of her face.

"Love kept you alive."

Madeleine searched the silver beads dotting the velvet endlessness above her as she felt Johnny's hand messing with hers, tracing her fingertips and lining the center of her palm before letting them wander to her exposed and scarred forearms.

Madeleine, however, saw the cuts to be battle-scars against mental instability. A long, dreaded fight that she kept upon herself for years until she met Johnny; a moment in her life that she couldn't quite figure if she regretted the decision for self-abuse or not.

Johnny took his hand to her face where he wiped away the tear that sketched a pathway down her numb face. Taking her own hand to Johnny's, Madeleine looked to Nny who was on her right, realizing he was lying on his side, frowning.

Knitting her eyebrows together, Madeleine searched Johnny's face as he continued to frown before he said, "why do you cry? Are you having second thoughts?"

Raising her eyebrows, Madeleine quickly got up from her place on the ground and pushed Johnny to where he lay on his back before Maddie slid herself over him, placing her knees beside his hips; a move both Johnny and Madeleine had experienced.

Studying Johnny's face, Madeleine half smiled at him as his eyes grew wide with surprise and caution. She could have swore his face turned a shade redder, but the thought made Madeleine smirk all the more as she cocked her head to the side in confusion at his question.

"Johnny, why the flying fuck would I think THAT? Johnny, when that man spoke shit to me and about me, you DEFENDED me, but you ran from me because you thought I would criticize you for killing the man. I followed you because I wanted to set things right. I found you, fallen before a wall of blood, weeping over the fact that you had been forced to kill and live your life the way you do. I stayed there, but you threatened to kill me because you wanted me to stay safe; I didn't care."

Madeleine sat down on Johnny's abdomen, flicking her hand in the air in an irritated swipe.

"I left because you asked me to, yet you followed me into the rain. The very first time my eyes saw you, I KNEW you were different; you seemed empty. I smiled at you, was knocked unconscious and dragged to your house to be killed in a brutal fashion so you could attempt suicide with a companion. I KEPT YOU FROM SUICIDE, Johnny. I GAVE YOU A REASON to realize that killing yourself wasn't the answer. Johnny, know this; I knew from the very start, that I loved you. If I didn't I wouldn't have kept you from killing me or yourself; I would have let you die. But I loved you enough to stop you."

It was then that she was rolled over, Madeleine being the one on the bottom and Johnny on the top. Bending down to her face, Johnny answered in a rather sad voice, "then would you mind answering me why," Johnny wiped another tear that fell from Maddie's face, "you're crying?"

"Because I'm NOT WORTH IT JOHNNY! I was never worth your patience or heart. I don't deserve a fantasy or a husband like you! I don't deserve lo-."

Madeleine was cut off from a kiss that knocked the breath out of her lungs as her heart rate sped up a slight bit from the passion that Johnny offered before he pulled away, shaking his head.

"Madeleine, everyone deserves at least one source of love, whether that is from a stranger, a family member, or someone with homicidal tendencies, it doesn't matter. Without that, a human ceases to exist; we become 'empty'. You have every reason to deserve someone who cares for you; without you, I wouldn't understand the concept of emotions or what it is to feel 'love'. Damn, I've gotten sappy…," Johnny said as he looked away with narrowed eyes before bringing his attention back to Madeleine.

"Do I? Do I truly mean that much to you," she asked in a cracked whisper. She didn't expect to be so emotionally effected by all this, so she let her tears fill her eyes as she tried to focus on Johnny who was reading her face so carefully.

"Yes," Nny said with finality in his voice.

Blinking away more hot tears that rolled down her face, Madeleine bit her lip in order to keep it from trembling as Johnny wiped away the new tears. Despite this, Madeleine rolled back over, her on top now, but her body pressed up against his, thoroughly embarrassing Johnny and creating a dark red strip to cross over his pale cheekbones.

Teasing Johnny, Maddie lightly traced patterns and shapes into his chest before she whispered with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "so, I only spike your 'love' interest, huh? Nothing else…"

Hiding a sly smile behind her serious expression, Madeleine got off of Johnny who had a baffled and incredulous look spread on his face, smirking at him before turning around to walk to the edge of the cliff and look out over the city.

* * *

><p>(JOHNNY'S POV)<p>

The look on Johnny's face was priceless as he gawked at Madeleine, completely speechless. Madeleine never acted so seductive around him, teasing him through such enticing actions as that. And as disgusting as it sounded to him, Johnny couldn't help but want to experience that feeling again.

Narrowing his eyes at Madeleine who had then turned around to retreat to the cliff edge, Johnny snapped his mouth shut and formed his lips into a half-smile, realizing her joke.

_Two can play at that game…_

Before Madeleine got close enough to the edge, Johnny grabbed her waist and pushed her against the tree which was only a few feet away from them. Placing one hand on the bark above her left shoulder, Johnny let his other hand trace her jaw line, down to her collarbone. Madeleine almost gasped in surprise, gaping at Nny's move before closing her mouth, eyes shining with a slight air of victory and embarrassment.

Cocking his head to the side, Johnny played along with Madeleine, before bringing his mouth to her ear and whispering, "oh, I wouldn't quite say that…that red flush on your face is very sexy*…"

Chuckling at Madeleine's face which was already red turn to an even darker shade, Johnny pecked her on the lips before backing away with amusement in his eyes.

But Johnny was thrown off as Madeleine tackled him into a sickly warm embrace, closing what little space they had between them as Madeleine buried her face in his neck. Johnny was used to hugs like these, and it seemed that every time he took her in his arms that he understood what it was to experience emotion; Reverend Meat never failing to be correct.

**Johnny's body **_**did**_** scream for input.** But to fulfill that through sexual desire…he wouldn't allow himself that unless Madeleine suggested it. He wouldn't bring himself to express lust in that way…no; he wouldn't.

But what mattered at the moment was the fact that he was happily married with Madeleine, and they were in complete bliss with just the company of each other; right?

Right…?

* * *

><p>(AUTHOR'S NOTE!)<p>

Okay… Madeleine's cousin is a perv. Hey, for those guys out there reading this story, don't fuck with me, you can't lie to me, you've looked at least ONCE at one girl's boobs. YOU KNOW you have, so don't get started with, "wtf? Screw you, we are NOT pervs…" (just shut up; you know perfectly well you are…) ;)

Okay… I wanted this chapter to be a little dramatic closer to the end, and I tried to bring the slightest amount of comedy to you readers through teasing 'sexual interest'. Hah… I probably killed off Johnny's originality, but it's coming up… fear not, for I haven't taken all of Johnny's awesomeness away through sappy romance chapters.

(sexy*) sexy is a very unstable, and... weird term for me to use in Johnny's POV, but I used it in this case to embarrass Madeleine to an extent. I apologize for my lack of a better word...

Awwh, adorable, but dramatic ending, don't you think? Johnny doesn't want to force anything onto Maddie; such a gentlemanly homicidal maniac, don't you think?

So, they're officially wed… what now?

CLIFF HANGER; I AM TERRIBLE FOR DOING THAT…. ^.^

Sadly, I start high school this Friday, so my updates won't come as quick as they should… don't be mad, I will STILL continue on with the story! I SWEAR MY LIFE ON IT!

The **bold writing** is a reference from Jhonen Vasquez's 7th issue of JTHM.

It does not belong to me in any way, shape or form…

Which leads me to the disclaimer!

Johnny and all JTHM characters belong to Jhonen Vasquez, not me. I own Madeleine and her family.

Er… Review; please?


	3. Chapter 3

(MADELEINE'S POV)

A sharp pain in her abdomen sliced at Madeleine and forced her to open her eyes.

Looking about the room, Madeleine realized she was lying down on a small platform that was covered in a strip of tissue paper. Bright white lights hung from above, blinding Madeleine temporarily before she took her eyes to her feet, straining herself from gasping in terror.

Her dilated eyes scanned over the dominant bump in her stomach, finding yellow bruises and whatnot lining her exposed torso. Daring to move her eyes to the audience, she looked to her side and found a doctor moving an ultra-sound across the bump on her stomach.

Looking to the monitor, the doctor's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he searched the screen. But while his eyes were busy, preoccupied with searching for the baby inside of her, Madeleine glanced back to her stomach, finding five, tiny little bumps crate indentations that slid across her stomach before they faded away.

"Madeleine…," the doctor said in a low, distressed and familiar tone.

Madeleine ignored this as a loud, dominant ringing sounded in her ears, forcing Madeleine's head back to stare at the ceiling before her until the quietest sound of laughter became distinct.

_Never worth…unfortunate that your eyes betray your past; never worth._

_Understand that through time the barrier will grow thin… -less…_

Breathing through her nose as she gritted her teeth, Maddie's attempt's of freedom came to no avail, only projecting a wall in her mind; it's crimson-stained wooden panels wearing and tearing as her eyes went to Johnny, who keeled helplessly on the floor before the mess, whispering out the burden of his job.

_He shall rise again through the procedures of the birth… worth(worthless…)_

_And the bloodshed of the victims shall start again; from the beginning._

"Madeleine…," Maddie's mortified face turned to the doctor whom had then pulled away the mask, revealing Johnny's worried face looking to the monitor on the wall. Taking her own eyes to the screen, her screams were cut off from blood pooling in the back of her throat.

Another sharp stab of pain nudged inside of her as her fearful eyes scanned the monitor, traveling over the curves of the infant's indefinable appearance; an assortment of jaws, tentacles, and talons protruding from it's mouth and spine.

_Never worth;… the bloodshed of the victims shall start again; from the beginning._

The image of the wall in her head morphed as the Wall cracked and broke apart before a large mass of tentacles, claws, assortments of dilated eyes, endless amounts of faceless heads and teeth slid out from behind the wooden boards, captivating Madeleine's attention and consuming her, turning her vision black.

"NO!"

"Madeleine, wake up. Damn it, wake up already!"

Madeleine's eyes shot open immediately as her heartbeat raced at a crazy speed; the image of her child morphed into the spitting image of the horrifying monster that had once threatened Johnny's own sanity.

Squeezing her eyes tightly, Madeleine shook her head in desperate attempt to get the thought out of her mind. Scrunching her nose up in dislike, a sharp headache pierced at the back of her head before she opened her eyes once again, her vision distorted and blurry. Screwing up her eyes, she slapped at whatever was being held to her face before bringing her fists to her eyes.

Rubbing the dream from her eyes, Madeleine set one hand behind her back, propping half of her body up from the couch beneath her. How the hell did she get there?

Immediately, Maddie closed her mouth as her face turned an extremely light shade of white in disgust.

Pushing herself up, Madeleine walked in a daze, past Johnny who stood next to the sofa with a confused look on his face.

"Made-."

Raising her hand in order to silence Johnny, Madeleine continued out of the room in an emotionless trance. Holding her breath, she passed the Bub's burger boy which sat beside the exit of the house in silence as she walked through the doorway, into the beginnings of a sunrise.

The color of the sky, however, made Madeleine's stomach churn even more in discomfort as she looked up at the beautiful crimson hues; but keeping her expression wiped away, Maddie hurried off of the lawn, keeping off of the loose soil and heading to a nearby bush.

_Never worth…unfortunate that your eyes betray your past; never worth._

_Understand that through time the barrier will grow thin… _

Once she was close enough to the shrub, Madeleine vomited onto the ground, the brown, murky substance staining her head as she tried to drown out the sound of the omen ringing loudly in her head.

_He shall rise again through the procedures of the birth… _

_And the bloodshed of the victims shall start again; from the beginning._

* * *

><p>(JOHNNY'S POV)<p>

"Made-," Johnny was cut off from Madeleine who signaled for him to stay quiet. Thoroughly confused, Johnny followed Madeleine through the house and stopped at the doorstep, watching after Maddie who walked over to a small bush and projectile vomited.

Perhaps she ate something bad at the family reunion after the wedding, causing her to have the stomach flu…

She had the symptoms: shakiness, cold sweat, and vomiting; but Johnny wasn't assured by the fact that he had heard her yelling in her sleep.

He came into the room to find Madeleine squirming on the sofa, muttering nonsense about a barrier growing thin, something that was to rise through the stages of birth, and bloodshed beginning again.

Those, definitely, WEREN'T symptoms of the stomach flu.

But through each attempt that Johnny had tried to wake her, she only struggled more.

"Reverend…," Johnny began as he headed back into the room, a frown forming on his lips as his eyes flashed to the decoration.

"She muttered, whispered things… Meaty…guy, you are connected to me, and bound to this house through some…superficial dark magic, I believe. And I know you know what Madeleine had seen… she mentioned the barrier…"

Johnny flinched as he said these words, still glaring at the plastic decoration in confusion. He had thought he rid the house of the monster; he thought it was gone for good.

"Precisely. Johnny, my boy, she is now attached to you through marriage vows, meaning she is connected to you in both the physical world, and the supernatural through this house. She has been given a dream which has warned her for the future laid out before her; an omen of simplicity and terror."

Looking to the entrance of the house, Johnny continued to frown as he realized what Reverend Meat was saying. The supernatural forces; the monster from the Wall was picking away at Madeleine's head. It had the courage and willpower to fuck with Johnny's wife, cursing her with omens and such that would probably scar her for life.

His hands clenched into fists as his feet took him down his stairs and to the legendary Wall. However, he heard no movement whatsoever on the other side of the wood. Complete silence.

Bringing himself closer to the wood, Johnny kicked at the Wall with his boot, denting the rotting wood as he groaned, "I thought you LEFT. I thought you already got your share of freedom; but if you're going to fuck around again, stay the hell away from Madeleine. Do what you want to me, I don't give a damn; just don't… don't taint Madeleine like you did, me."

The muscles in his neck tensed as he spat at the wall, as if to belittle whatever could have been hiding behind the barrier. Johnny backed away as he heard a slight scuffling behind the wooden panels before he walked out of the room, aggravated as his eyes shone with worry.

* * *

><p>(SQUEE'S POV; heh, this is new…)<p>

The loud sound of the alarm clock rang through the air as the child squealed in surprise. Dragging his heavy eyes to the clock, it read, 6:15 A.M.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Todd hung his legs over the side of his bed as he reached for his brown, worn teddy bear, Shmee before shutting off the alarm with a grunt of annoyance.

Yawning, Todd did his usual routine for every morning: check underneath your bed for any monsters that thrived beneath him. He had, in several cases, had to ward off and run from an amount of creepy, crawly beasts, making Squee more and more anxious on whether or not he should check underneath the bed at all.

Once this was said and done, finding no weird, unnatural things creeping about his room, Squee plopped down onto the floor in a daze before changing into a new set of clothes. After this, Todd shuffled out of his room, dragging his stuffed bear into the hallway and into the bathroom where he then brushed his teeth and combed his naturally straight, black hair.

Now mostly awake, Squee searched the house for his backpack, looking in the kitchen, the living room his own room, and the bathroom before narrowing his eyes and looking to Shmee, "can't find my bag…"

"Where'd it go," Todd raced to his parent's bedroom before peeking in and whimpering nervously, "M-mommy…?"

Getting no response, Todd walked farther into the room, a worried look spread across his face as he looked to the bed, where her leg hung off in an awkward position, "Mommy," he said in a louder voice.

Still, the woman did not answer him.

Slowly, Todd walked to his mother's bedside, spotting an empty prescription bottle lying next to her while a few pills lay strewn on the sheets. Widening his eyes in confusion, Squee tugged on his mother's arm, noticing how oddly cold it was.

"M-mom? Mommy? MOM!"

Now, forgetting the fact that he was looking for his backpack, Todd began to cry out, desperate for an answer from his mother; but she did not answer, leaving Squee bathed in a room of deathly silence.

Eyes wide with fear now, Todd ran out of the room and called for his father in a shriek, finding him in his office, which smelled sour of alcohol and sweat. His father, being blind due to the fact that Scary Neighbor Man had knocked him unconscious with one of Squee's very own toy robots, kept his father disabled and even more angered as he blamed Todd for having blinded him.

"D-DADDY! There's something wrong with Mommy," Squee said with a terrified tone in his voice; taking his father by the hand, Todd led him to the bedroom, where it took his father a few moments to get situated onto the bed, next to his wife.

"What…," his father started as his hands roamed Todd's mother's face, feeling her cold skin before checking her pulse, "TODD, WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Squee began to cry as he whimpered out, "n-nothing Daddy! I was looking for my bag and I came to ask Mo-," a hard slap came upon his face as his father turned toward his direction. Although his father was blind, he had fine-toned his awareness to sensitivity, pinpointing Todd's location, and hitting him hard on the cheek.

Backing away from the impact of his father's hand, Todd let out a shrill, "Squee," before his eyes watered, watching his father with an incredulous face.

"You've blinded me, taken away every ounce of happiness I had by being born. You've only been a nuisance to your mother and I; I work, solely to keep you alive, to feed you, and you've returned this by killing your own MOTHER? Dammit!"

Todd ran out of the room, piecing his father's words together as he cried. Bursting through the front door of the house in desperate attempt to flee and get help, Todd let small, hot tears stream down his face as he called yelled, unsure of what to do, "help… help! He-help…"

"Hey Squee-gee," a feminine voice sounded to his left, startling him and making him shout in surprise, "SQUEE!"

Bring his eyes to his visitor, Todd wiped away the tears that burned at his face while the dark, red hand mark had yet to fade away. Blinking away more tears, Todd realized that it was Madeleine, the woman whom he trusted so well and served for in her wedding just yesterday. She didn't seem too well, having a clammy face and sweat lining her forehead.

She held an intrigued smile on her face as she studied him, but that immediately washed off once she spotted the tears and the large red mark on his face. Todd ran up to her, immediately glad that she was outside for the moment.

"T-Todd? What happened to your face," she said in an angered tone. Her eyes grew hard as she stared him down, making Squee flinch.

"H-help… Mommy… mommy is cold. She won't answer me, and Daddy blames me… Daddy said I did it, but I DIDN'T! I didn't! Help, Maddie."

* * *

><p>(AUTHOR'S NOTE)<p>

I veered away from the romance in this chapter, giving you a rather dramatic scene. Sometimes, you just need a break from that… sappy lovey dovey ehhh….

Yes, for those of you who were wondering about Madeleine's dream, what does it mean, why so random, blah blah blah?

I did it to warn Madeleine; if she were to conceive a baby, the supernatural forces of the house and the Wall monster/(the moose), project a threat to hurt the baby, and most likely possess it in some horrid, tragic way, through an omen.

Weird; yes. Dramatic; yes. Sappy(this chapter); not so much.

Oh no… is the wall monster coming back? Or was that just Mr. Samsa crawling on the wall, making little noises?

*BIG GASP!*

Squee's father ABUSED TODD? Yes… because he disliked the fact that Todd was alive; he hadn't even smiled ONCE since he'd been born. So… his father blamed Squee for knocking him out, and blinding him. The only person he COULD blame was Squee. Do you see the dilemma?

(Spoiler; it's alright, you can read this:) you will find Squee and hear a lot more from him in this story. I might, every now and then, use his POV in the story like I did in this chapter.

Lucky you, you got no song lyrics for this chapter.

HOORAY FOR THE DRAMA LLAMA!

*llama passes by*

Author's question to you readers out there: (completely random and has NO relation whatsoever to the storyline) Have you readers seen 'Llamas with hats'? If you haven't, check it out on youtube… It kind of reminds me of Johnny…

Ahh… for those of you who have been reading my story and found the last chapter to have been… a little… awkward, I do apologize. I meant to add the last bit to show you that Johnny, is, in fact a human. He is forced upon his own will to feel emotions, and so forth and so on…

But the little 'game' I added in the previous chapter was to embarrass the characters and make you realize that it was just a joke; a tease.

I truly do apologize for how awkward or how… strangely odd the last chapter was. That is probably the farthest it will get to 'sappy' and 'adorable'.

DISCLAIMER: Johnny and all JTHM characters belong to Jhonen Vasquez, not me; (I am not, and never will be to the level of superiority such as he…) I do, however, own Madeleine.

I am ranting…

Oh, and if you review, you get a free digital cookie. Yay, cookies!

"_YUM! AIR!"_

_-Happy Noodle Boy/ Johnny C./ Jhonen Vasquez_


	4. Chapter 4

(MADELEINE'S POV)

Todd ran back to his house, more tears streaming down his face as Madeleine followed after him in a quick pace, "didn't do what Todd? I don't understand what you're-," her voice stopped as she paused in the walkway, spotting Squee's father who was walking out of the house with a face riddled with hate, disgust, and resentment as he yelled, "TODD, YOU KILLED HER! I KNOW YOU DID!"

Backing away, Madeleine took Todd by the hand, and led him quickly to the house of 777, where Madeleine retrieved her cell phone and ran into Johnny who already had a worried expression on his face.

Todd, being the terrified child that he was, hesitated at the doorway of the home, watching his own father wander around, screaming false accusations about Todd on his lawn.

"Johnny, Nny, something's happened to Todd and his mother. She's not breathing. But… I need you," taking a shaky breath, Madeleine wiped the sweat off her clammy forehead before taking her eyes back to Johnny with a desperate look on her face, "Johnny, I need you to keep yourself… from killing Squee's father until an ambulance comes. Squee will tell you the rest."

Flipping her phone, Madeleine dialed 9-1-1, and explained the emergency, adding with the abuse done to Todd at the end as she frantically gave out the information on where she was and what was possibly needed.

Ending the call, Madeleine rushed out of the house, noticing Todd's horrified face as Johnny bent down to talk to him, studying the red mark that had started to fade on Squee's face. Tears slid down Todd's face as he explained what all had happened while he hugged his teddy bear tightly, shaking from what horrors Johnny could inflict upon him.

Running past this, Madeleine stealthily slipped inside the house without alerting Squee's father, and looked around the house, searching for the room that held his mother.

Opening several doors, Madeleine came to find the bathroom, Squee's own bedroom in which she had been in only once before, an office which smelled pungently of beer and alcohol.

Finally, Maddie found the room in which Squee had fled from, finding a woman lying in what seemed like an uncomfortable position while sheets draped over the majority of her body.

Her face looked very much like Todd's, stating that this was his real birthmother and reminding Madeleine of the omen that had been given to her just several minutes before all this had happened.

Walking up to the side of the bed, frowning at how ignorant Todd's mother could be to her very own child.

Pressing two of Madeleine's fingers to the woman's jugular, she got no response in pulse; the icy chill of death lying on the dead corpse.

Clearing her throat, Madeleine locked her jaw before looking around the area.

Maddie's eyes skimmed through the bed, finding an orange, prescription bottle with the cap popped off and a few, tiny white pills scattered on the bed around the woman.

Pitying tears gathered in her eyes as she pulled her hand away, shaking her head at how recognizable all this was, because so many years ago, she, too, had tried this attempt at suicide, but failed when her aunt and uncle found her, unconscious on the floor of her very own bedroom.

Her eyes looked over the bottle of drugs, reading the label before she backed out of the room, frowning all the more. An overdose.

Exiting the house in a daze, Maddie grit her teeth as she let her messy, curly locks fall into her face while she bowed her head in acknowledgement at what she had just witnessed.

Sirens wailed in the distance, stating that the paramedics and police gotten the message; their bright, flashing lights flashing around the corner.

Walking down the steps of the house, Madeleine choked out a small whimper before crossing the lawn and walking to Johnny who had an absolutely infuriated look on his face, staring at the shocked man on Todd's lawn.

"…hit my face hard and I ran. I-I ran out the house and that's when M-Madeleine found me," Todd said as he sniffed, wiping his nose with the back of his hand before jumping in surprise at the sudden visit from Madeleine.

"Todd…," Madeleine began in a shaky voice before she cleared it once again and started, "Todd, sweetie, do you want to ride in an ambulance with your mommy, or do you want to stay here?"

Studying the child's tear-stained face, Maddie crouched down to see eye-to-eye with Todd before he answered in a dead, depressed voice, "she's dead, isn't she? Daddy was right… but I didn't kill her! I d-didn't kill her; I don't want her to die…"

Opening her arms, she offered a hug to the child in which Todd greatly accepted. "I know you didn't. It wasn't your fault, sweetie."

Damn; he was so tiny and absolutely adorable. Why was it that he was granted such abusive, ignorant parents? Todd needed attention and someone to care for him; not the other way around.

Todd was the first to pull away to look back to his father whom was yelling more nonsense about Squee, and about how his life was burdened with so much; he ranted about how Todd was a mistake in his life.

The cars of flashing lights and noise came up to the curb, doors opening and a stretcher being poured out of the ambulance and police cars; trauma in the morning.

Getting up, Madeleine popped her neck, making Todd jump in fear before she headed to an expectant officer with a polite expression on his face. Taking Squee's hand, she led him to the man in the uniform, trying to make use of herself as much as she could.

Todd rubbed his eye with his free hand, a hesitant look on his face as he looked to the stranger.

More paramedics rushed into the house while two strong men encountered Todd's father, trying to calm the man down before having to restrain him in cuffs. "I DIDN'T KILL THE WOMAN, DAMN IT! IT WAS THAT KID! HE KILLED HER! MY OWN SON KILLED MY WIFE!"

Reaching out a hand to shake the officer before her, Madeleine introduced themselves, "hi, I'm Madeleine, one of Squ- Todd's next-door neighbors. I'm the one who called."

The officer nodded his head, acknowledging Maddie's information before taking Todd's hand and shaking his as well before interrogating them with an endless amount of questions.

* * *

><p>(JOHNNY'S POV)<p>

Watching Madeleine and Todd walk, hand in hand toward the officer, Johnny gaped in shock as Squee-gee's story replayed back in his mind.

"I woke up, got ready for s-school, and I couldn't find my backpack. I looked all over for it until I went to go ask Mommy if she knew where it went, but when I asked her, she said nothing. I asked her again and again and again, but she didn't talk. I-I… went to go pull on her sleeve to see if she was asleep, but she was so_ cold_… I-I ran to get Daddy, and took him to check on Mommy… but… D-daddy blamed me. He screamed at m-me… and hit my face hard and I ran. I-I ran out the house and that's when M-Madeleine found me…"

Johnny could still see the red burn on his cheek from where his father had made contact with him, discoloring his skin while small tears slid down his innocent face.

A little uncomfortable from the fact that Johnny was useless in this type of situation, Nny frowned before sitting down on the step of his porch, staring at the mess that was occurring in Squee's front lawn. Squee's father, bound and defenseless with his hands cuffed while his blindness disabled him, angering the father all the more.

"HE KILLED HER! MY OWN SON KILLED MY WIFE!"

Retreating his eyes back to the pavement, Johnny shrugged off the increasing irritation inside of him. What pissed Johnny off was the fact that Todd's father knew very well that it hadn't been his fault; he just had to blame someone for her death other than him.

It completely disgusted Johnny, knowing that Todd's father had abused him in such a way to make his very own son cry.

Squee's father benefited to the society around them, adding more shit to the population than there already was. It insulted humanity, seeing that the majority of parents, siblings, friends, and complete strangers forget what it was to be considerate or have even the slightest ounce of politeness.

Hearing four wheels clank against the sidewalk along with persistent commands and loud tones mix, Johnny looked back to Todd's lawn, spotting the stretcher with a body lying under a cloth; tube sticking out the opening where a limp head lay, forcing oxygen into the already dead woman's lungs.

Taking his eyes back to Madeleine and Squee, he found the two nodding, moving their mouths as they caught sight of the stretcher moving closer to the ambulance. Maddie's head turn to the officer before them, questioning something that Johnny couldn't hear until the man nodded his head, as if to answer her question happily.

Todd looked to the ambulance before letting his mouth drop, sprinting to the paramedics for reasons Johnny couldn't comprehend. But, to Johnny's slight amusement, Todd still grasped onto the paw of his little bear, Shmee, stating his innocence.

"TODD KILLED HER, DAMN IT!"

The car door slammed in the father's face, silencing his useless comebacks and attempts for attention.

* * *

><p>(MADELEINE'S POV)<p>

The sun rose over the city, lighting up the sky and setting the colors to a bluer, clearer shade as she heard the ear-splitting sound of the ambulance sirens pierce her mind.

"Todd Casil… C-A-S-I-L," Madeleine spelled out, giving information to the officer as the ambulance zoomed through the neighborhood, holding a dead mother and a worried and terrified child.

"No, this was the first time I had ever seen Todd with marks or bruises on him. Well, he had a few on his arms, but I'm sure little boys tend to get bruises all the time. But you could see the finger marks on his face; that was a true form of abuse."

"Ma'am, you do realize, any parent witnessed for having abused a child loses their parenting rights to them, yes? Once we take this to court, it will all be settled and figured out; the father most likely will be put in prison. Unfortunately, for Todd, with his mother dead, he has no legal parents and must be put in a foster home until the time being that he finds an adoptive family. Sweet kid; absolutely sickens me to do this job for a living…"

"Is that all," Madeleine said tiredly and worriedly as she crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive manner.

"Yes, ma'am. You are free to do as you please."

Turning around, Madeleine huffed out a long sigh before trudging back to her home where Johnny sat patiently on the steps. So much had just happened at once.

All she did was wake up from an omen, go outside to puke, and suddenly Todd ran out of his house, screaming.

Maybe a little TOO much had happened within the time span of ten minutes.

* * *

><p>(AUTHOR'S NOTE:)<p>

I personally found this to be a boring chapter… hm… maybe theres not enough romance… ;)

HA! maybe I should add just a little more spark; too much sudden drama, we need a tiny break from that…

Ah,… I'm extremely tired, seeing that I haven't slept in almost over a week now, due to writing these chapters for you. I am in dire need for some sleep, so… I shall end this author's note pretty quickly.

I think you all know what the next chapters will be, and if you have any ideas on what might happen, private message or review your ideas…

I won't give it out though, not until the chapter comes…

Hmm… Maddie and Johnny haven't opened their wedding present yet… what could it BE?

Disclaimer: Johnny and all JTHM characters belong to Jhonen Vasquez, not me.

I own Madeleine and the police officer, dude, whatever.

Remember, with each and EVERY review you post, you get a digital cookie! Now, who DOESN'T love digital cookies? So… review!

"_Moo! Moo! Mooo! I'm voodoo cursing you!"_

_-Happy Noodle Boy/ Johnny C./ Jhonen Vasquez_


	5. Chapter 5

_(MADELEINE'S POV)_

*88 lbs

Hanging her head, Madeleine trudged inside the house with an air of pity and sickness. Taking a few steps inside, Madeleine stiffly turned her neck to her right, spotting Johnny's plastic burger boy, sitting several feet away on a wooden dresser.

Narrowing her eyes with distaste, Maddie turned away and chewed the inside of her cheek before pausing in mid-stride to glance at Johnny who began to retreat to the lower corridors and hidden rooms of the house. He too, had a rather disturbed face while he started down the stairs.

"Johnny."

Nny stopped, turned his body and looked to Madeleine with concern before she continued, "I'm planning on visiting the hospital to check on Squee and his mother after I do a few things. Would you care to join?"

"Sure, sure," he answered with a cynical smile before turning away and continuing back down the stairwell.

Rubbing her forehead to rid herself of the excess sweat, Madeleine hesitated in the living room, trying to figure out what she was going to do from there.

Letting her eyes wander to the other hallways of her new, but rather familiar home, she remembered her plans, and headed to the bathroom, heart set on taking a shower and cleaning herself of what she had just seen.

Walking at a steady pace, Madeleine found the bathroom, abruptly stopping as she spotted the tub which was spilling over with thick, crimson blood and many various body fragments. Madeleine left the door open, staring at the mess of blood that smeared on the wall, and spilled on the floor. Forming her lips into a thin line, Maddie shook her head and realized that she had to get used to this; unless she could successfully reprogram Johnny enough to get him to stop bringing his dead victims into their home.

Rubbing her neck in an awkward fashion, she breathed out a heavy sigh before leaving the hallway to fetch Johnny.

* * *

><p>(JOHNNY'S POV)<p>

"Nny…?"

Biting his tongue, Johnny dropped the wet rag in his hand as he slit a small opening in his thumb. He was only half finished with cleaning off his knife before Madeleine had entered the room, surprising him and distracting Johnny, thus leading to the accidental cut on his finger.

"Hm?"

"I have a favor to ask; I know that I can't keep you from killing someone, but if you take them _here _to finish the assholes off and kill them, could you… _not _store the corpses or blood in the bathtub? I'm in need of a shower… and I don't find it very sanitary if you do that…"

Cringing at the realization that he forgot to clean up the mess, Johnny turned around, wiping his thumb on his jacket before putting on an apologetic face, "shit… forgot to clean that… let me go fetch a wheel barrel, and I'll fix that right away."

Setting down his knife on the table, Johnny narrowed his eyes at his hands, thinking up an idea to keep the wedding ring on his hand from getting tainted with blood and gore.

Hurrying down another flight of stairs, Johnny signaled for Madeleine to stay where she was before flipping on the light of one of his small side closets.

Scanning through the jumbled mess of torture toys, iron maidens, nooses, and more deathly weapons, Johnny spotted a wheel barrel filled with rusty knives, needles and bent nails. Placing these unwanted objects onto the shelves for later, Johnny dragged the wheel barrel out the room before searching the room once more for a completely different reason.

Spotting an old leather leash, Johnny bent over a bat with spikes surrounding its edges before picking up the leather and bringing it to his chest at the memory of buying that very leash from the pet store the day he bought Nailbunny.

Of course, he didn't really know that people didn't walk their pet bunnies at the time, so he bought it, thinking that he would use it. Unfortunately, that very day after he fed the little bunny, he nailed it to the wall.

Smiling at the memory, Johnny grabbed a large set of hedge clippers that sat on his side before cutting the leather in half, and setting the clippers back where they had been.

Taking the black leather in his hands, Johnny slipped his gold and silver wedding ring off his finger before sliding it the leather through the hole. Tying the ends of the black strip, Johnny knotted it well before slipping the strap around his neck.

Satisfied now, Johnny tugged the wheel barrel up the stairs before finding Madeleine back at Johnny's desk, giggling at the parchment before her.

Raising an eyebrow in curiosity before shaking his head, Johnny continued up another flight of stairs and continued on to the bathroom to clean up the inconvenient mess he had forgotten to clean up.

* * *

><p>(1 hour later…)<p>

After making several trips to his back yard, burying the various eyes, elbows, legs and other bodily joints, Johnny had successfully emptied the tub, cleaned the blood stains on the sides, tiles and floor. Gathering his monstrous tools and blades that had dried blood coating the edges, he dumped them into the barrel and cleaned the counter as well, finishing up the job with spraying the room with air freshener and Lysol onto the counter tops.

Huffing out a sigh of tiredness, Johnny popped his knuckles before checking over the room one last time, making sure that the tub was successfully cleaned, the floors mopped of blood, and the smears on the wall wiped away with bleach. His eyebrows knitted together as he spotted an old friend in the corner of the room, crawling up the wall in silence.

"Mr. Samsa, what are you doing in here," Johnny said as he picked up the roach and set it in his hand, studying it carefully before carrying it out the room and setting it on the windowsill beside the entrance. Retrieving the wheel barrel, Johnny paused, standing in the bathroom while he looked at his appearance in the mirror.

Still the same Johnny C. that he was several months ago: skinny, pale skin, messy hair and bloody clothes.

Clearing his throat, Nny frowned at how Madeleine found him suitable as a husband. He killed people; how was he in any possible way worthy for a wife?

Scoffing at himself, Johnny shrugged; Madeleine cared and loved for him all the same, as he did for her. It didn't really matter.

Pulling the barrel out of the room, Johnny took it back down to the room he was in before he was asked of his chore, finding Madeleine still reading more pieces of parchment, but now she was sitting on the floor with stacks of more paper around her.

Now, Johnny became truly curious at what was keeping Madeleine so entertained and fixated on the pages around her. Walking up to her with interest, Johnny leaned against the wooden wall beside him, realizing that she had found his Happy Noodle Boy comics.

She was crying with laughter at this point, holding her torso while she held the page in the other hand.

Maddie repeated a line from one of his own comics, making him smile with gratitude.

"No! Don't leave me, intestinal gas! Please! Don't go! I thought you LOVED ME! Ahahaha! Joh-…," Madeleine burst into another fit of giggles and laughter before wiping her eyes and taking a deep breath, "Johnny this is golden. Happy Noodle Boy… heh."

She smiled at the stick figure comics, looking through the pages before gathering them up and returning them back to the desk before stretching her arms above her head and popping her shoulders in the act.

Nny, being proud of his comics, strolled across the room, dragging the barrel to the desk beside Madeleine, before informing her, "the bathroom is free to do as you please; I truly do apologize for the inconvenience."

Maddie rolled her eyes at Johnny's apologetic statement, shrugging her shoulders in a dismissive taste, "it's fine, Johnny. Thank you for cleaning it for me. Hmmm…"

Madeleine eyed Johnny up and down, noticing the ring on his chest while the sleeves of his coat and bits of his shirt were soggy with blood. Cocking her head to the side, she stayed quiet for several more seconds, contemplating something before opening her mouth, "you got an awful lot of blood on you; I'll wash that for you. Hey," Maddie started as Johnny narrowed his eyes, wondering if Maddie was playing another game like she did the previous night, "I'm offering you this because you did a kindliness to me by cleaning the bathroom. The least I can do is wash your jacket and shirt."

Studying Madeleine's face, he could hear the sincerity in her voice. She didn't seem to be scheming anything, so Johnny accepted her offer after slight hesitation.

Shrugging off his blood-stained jacket, Johnny passed this to Madeleine who had started to bob her head and hum to a rhythm. Squirming out of his shirt, he handed that to Maddie as well, who seemed to be staring at the ring on his chest. She paid no attention to anything other than the ring as she continued to hum and bob her head, smiling at the sight of the jewelry.

_"I always knew that you'd come back to get me… and you always knew that it wouldn't be easy, to go back to the start to see where it all began or end up at the bottom to watch how it all ends…"_

Madeleine turned around, heading to the ground floor while she continued to sing.

_"You tried to lie and say I was everything; I remember when I said I'm nothing without you… somehow I found a way to get lost in you, let me inside, let me get close to you; change your mind. I'll get lost if you want me to…"_

Her voice had faded off, but Johnny followed her, wanting to listen to her voice.

Although Johnny didn't necessarily approve of rock bands that sang songs that Madeleine was singing, Johnny had found this band fairly recognizable. Johnny was more subject to classical music, but he accepted any and all genres, coming to like rock as well.

_"…somehow I found a way to get lost in you."_

Madeleine shoved the bundle of clothes into the machine before flipping the switch and pouring some laundry soap into the bunch, closing the lid and letting the machine do it's work.

_"You always thought that I left myself open, but you didn't know I was already broken…"_

Passing Johnny, Madeleine strode over to the bedroom where she soon came back with a bundle of clothes to change into before hustling inside the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

_"I told myself that it wouldn't be so bad, but pulling away you took everything that I had. You tried to lie and say I was everything; I remember when I said I'm nothing without you…"_

Scrunching his nose at the realization that he was standing in the middle of his home, shirtless, listening to his wife singing in the bathroom, Johnny shuddered before he crossed his arms over his chest and started to walk into the living room.

Cradling his elbow with his other arm, Johnny fingered the ring on his neck, toying with the circular metal. Madeleine's voice was still audible through the door, but it was a little more disfigured as the sound of running water somewhat drowned out her vocals.

_"somehow I found….to get lost in… let me inside, let me get close to you…mind….I'll get lost if you want me to, somehow I found…. To get lost in you."_

"I am glad to see that your emotions have become the subject of the matter, Johnny," a voice sounded through the room around him. Craning his neck, Nny spotted Reverend Meat sitting in a different spot, now placed on a side table that sat next to the sofa.

Frowning with dislike, Johnny simply ignored the noise before walking to the dresser that sat parallel to the hallway in which Madeleine had retreated to, still singing.

"But you still have yet to experience the pleasure of lust. You have the option to-,"

"No, just…shut up! I don't… I can't allow myself that, burger kind of… meaty thing. I won't even suggest the idea unless Maddie feels comfortable and wants to," Johnny confessed, pulling out a clean, long sleeved white shirt with the emblem of 'question sleep' strewn upon the front.

Clutching the fabric in his hands, Johnny grit his teeth in realization that once again, he had been corrected. As completely revolting as it sounded, he couldn't help but wonder. NO. No… no desire for that…

Johnny's eye twitched as he bit his tongue, thoroughly disgusted at himself for the thought before shrugging into the thin shirt and pulling out the ring from under his shirt.

"You will never know until you interrogate her about the situation… it's normal to feel-,"

Johnny cleared his throat so as to drown out the sound of Reverend Meat's rant about emotion and lust.

_"The pain of it all, the rise and the fall, I see it all in you; now every day I find myself say I want to get lost in you; I'm nothing without you…"_

Locking his jaw, Nny headed to the kitchen, still listening intently to Madeleine's song as he decided to entertain himself by making some toast.

_"Somehow I found a way to get lost in you, let me inside, let me get close to you; change your mind, I'll get lost if you want me to, somehow I found a way to get lost in you."_

* * *

><p>(AUTHOR'S POV)<p>

Another…fairly boring chapter. Yay… awkward endings are ALWAYS fun aren't they?

I… personally found this chapter somewhat worthless… but the next chapter will bring up a little more meaning for the story; hope you liked this chapter anyway…

I'm just trying to drag out the romance, giving the 'love' plot a little more conflict…

EHH! I'M TIRED!

Oooh… Happy Noodle Boy…

The thing with the tub… I added that in because I was re-reading a JTHM issue and I found a specific picture with Johnny, sitting on the toilet, wiping off a bloody saw with a rag while a tub filled with body parts and blood sat in the background.

Inspiration, no?

…I have a brainfart, so I don't have much to say other than the disclaimer…

The song lyrics belong to Three Days Grace, and the song title is called, "Lost in You"

Johnny and any JTHM characters (such as Mr. Samsa…) belong to Jhonen Vasquez; they don't belong to me, sadly.

I own Madeleine.

WHAT THE HELL IS INSIDE THAT WEDDING PRESENT?

You will figure out soon… guess, my fellow readers, guess.

Review; every time you review you get a digital cookie to splurge on, so… REVIEW!

"_NIPPLES! I HAVE NO NIPPLES!"_

_-Happy Noodle Boy/ Johnny C./ Jhonen Vasquez_


	6. Chapter 6

(MADELEINE'S POV)

*88 lbs

Thin pale fingers tore away at the shower curtain as Madeleine stepped out onto a dark crimson colored rug. Fetching the towel that hung on the wall, Maddie dried herself off before putting on her new change of clothes: underwear, a neon pink tank top with two black buttons at the bust, a pair of black cargo pants, and fuzzy pink and black slipper socks.

Adding the wedding ring to her slender finger, she smiled at the significance of the jewelry.

Brushing the hair out of her eyes, Maddie continued to hum to the beat of her song, although she had finished the lyrics several minutes before. Pulling her hair up messily, Madeleine then continued on with brushing her teeth and adding deodorant; finishing her daily hygiene necessities.

Glad that she had gotten the foul taste of vomit out of her mouth, Madeleine took her hand to her face and dragged it across her cheek in a tired fashion; too much shit to deal with in such little and precious time…

Dragging herself out of the humid room, Madeleine entered the living room with her lips formed into a hard, thin line. Taking her eyes to the plastic advertisement on the side table, she rose an eyebrow but quickly pushed away the wonder, guessing that Nny might have set him there. Besides, plastic burger boys don't move around on their own…do they?

Frowning, Madeleine remembered the memory of when she had visited Johnny's home, spotting two possessed Pillsbury doughboys, hobbling around the room on their own. Madeleine had also heard stories about Johnny's pet bunny, whose head floated around on it's own.

Deciding to take no surprise to this, Madeleine shrugged at the new place the decoration laid before continuing back to her and Johnny's bedroom. Although, you couldn't really call it a bedroom, considering the fact that there was no bed; only a sofa, a small side table, an old television set with antennas and a wooden dresser contained the room.

Letting her tongue roam against the back of her teeth, Madeleine went up to her still, unpacked luggage, and unhooked the first suitcase that sat on the floor beside the dresser.

The first item she spotted was a photograph that was placed in a copper frame with a small floral pattern cornering the edges of one side.

It was a picture of her parents; two angels holding the hands of a young child. The father had a very warm, protective smile as he and his wife held the child's hands, suspending the child in the air only a few feet from the ground. The woman seemed as if she was laughing, her dark black hair showing relation to the little girl in her hand.

It was a memory of happiness and contentment; emotions that she couldn't feel quite as easily anymore. Oh how she missed her parents. Although she didn't exactly remember them, she could still remember the glint in their eyes as they smiled warmly at her.

Changing up the choice of song, Madeleine soon started to whisper lyrics to one of her favorite bands.

_"Look at this photograph; every time I do it makes me laugh…"_

Maddie continued the song in a whisper, pleasuring herself in singing and letting out a bit of stress through her voice while she unpacked her clothes and set them in the empty cabinets of the dresser.

_"Every memory of looking out the back door, I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor, it's hard to say it; time to say it. Goodbye, goodbye…"_

Once she had finished unpacking her belongings and set them in the dresser, she set the photograph onto the ledge before grabbing the pink and black horizontal stripped arm-warmers that she had set aside when unpacking before getting up and popping her back.

Pulling on the accessories, Madeleine felt a little more comfortable with concealing the cuts that lined up and across her forearms, morphing the mangled and scarred skin.

Glancing at the small gift bag and box, Madeleine's curiosity spiked as she remembered that her family had gotten them a gift, no, _gifts_.

Johnny had brought them in the house when Madeleine fell asleep on the cliff edge the previous night after he carried Madeleine inside (although she clearly couldn't remember anything). Shuddering at the realization that Maddie was now a _wife_, she crossed her arms over her chest in a very self-conscious manner before cautiously heading toward the gifts.

Picking up the small bag and the wrapped present, Maddie decided to open the gifts with Johnny; hey, she thought it'd only be fair.

The box was fairly big, but Madeleine had no particular interest in this; only growing curiosity brought her to the small bag in her other hand. What wedding present was small enough to fit in a bag like that?

Walking back into the living room, Madeleine's stomach screamed in agony due to the fact that she had vomited everything that she ate the previous night, leaving her abdomen completely empty. And the fact that she was being helped through her burden of anorexia didn't help either.

"Johnny-pooh?"

Smirking at the childish reference for Johnny's name, she quickly got a response of Johnny walking out the doorway of the kitchen, holding a plate of toast.

Holding the plate in her direction, Johnny offered the bread before he realized what was in her hands. Nodding his head, he set the plate onto the coffee table before the T.V. set before setting his own slice of toast beside it.

"I thought that before we leave for the hospital that we could open our 'wedding gifts'. It might get our mind off the situation for a few minutes. C'mon," she walked over to the couch, setting the box onto the table while she held the gift bag.

Tugging at the cloth on her forearms, she felt the side of the sofa sink down beside her, meaning that Johnny had accepted the option.

Setting the small bag on the floor, she waited for Johnny to tear away at the wrapping paper on the box on the table, finding it to be a new blender; the basic gift anyone would buy for a newlywed couple.

* * *

><p>(JOHNNY'S POV)<p>

As truthfully honest as Johnny could get, this had been one of the best gifts he'd gotten.

His previous blender was… ruined with rat intestines when he decided to fill a collection of dolls with dead rats. Johnny never could clean the blender correctly, so he had to toss it out, never having the will to go out and buy a new one.

Smirking at the memory, Johnny almost flinched with surprise as Madeleine burst out laughing.

Looking over to Maddie in confusion, he realized that she, too, opened the small gift bag before her. She seemed to have dropped whatever she found back inside the bag, bursting into a mad fit of giggles before she brought her hands to her face.

"L-…leave it to Aunt Darla to buy those for a wedding present... nice joke; very nice," she groaned before bringing one hand to the center of her face; her thumb and forefinger pinching the bridge of her nose as she smiled awkwardly. An extremely dark shade of crimson covered her face as she giggled once more.

"What'd she get," Johnny said, anxious to look inside the bag now.

Madeleine just responded by pushing the bag over with her foot before getting up from the sofa with a now serious expression. Her mood had changed so quickly within a few seconds time…

"Shoes… going to go… find my shoes," she said darkly before hurrying off to the bedroom with an empty expression.

Confused now, Johnny took his attention to the bag now sitting by his foot. Raising an eyebrow, Johnny then took the bag in his hands, taking out a small box with a label that read:

Condoms.

Eyes bulging, Johnny, too, dropped this back into the bag, completely and utterly shocked. He never thought in ALL HIS LIFE that he would come to be in possession of something like _that…_

Since when were condoms suitable wedding gifts? Yes… marriage led to the option of family, but items like that seemed too personal to be considered a present; not to mention a little awkward.

Clenching his hands into fists, Johnny's face mimicked Madeleine's, turning a dark shade of pink. Scrunching his nose, Nny flashed his head to Reverend Meat who was chuckling at him, making fun of Johnny's tension and sudden awkwardness.

"Don't…say…a fucking word…," Johnny whispered to the plastic decoration before gritting his teeth and looking back to the bag, remembering Meat's empty suggestion.

_You will never know until you interrogate her about the situation…_

* * *

><p>(TODD'S POV)<p>

Todd's eyes were huge with terror as he followed a nurse through several large metal doors in the hospital. Stretchers and beds passed him with sick, mental and physical injuries as he was taken through several corridors.

Other hospital staff hung around the hallways, wearing light green and blue uniforms with masks covering half of their faces. Everything moved through a blur of sound, talking and wheels going against the smooth tiles of the floor. Color swirled around his head as he was being taken away from his mother and being led through a different section of the emergence medical center.

Hot tears swam in Todd's eyes as the employee stopped, looked down to him with a smile on her face before squatting down to face him. Her dark brown eyes looked at him sympathetically as she said in a rather low tone, "this the lobby; some call it a 'waiting room', but in general it's called a lobby. We're taking care of your mom," she said quietly with a small spark of sadness in her voice before continuing on, "but I don't know how long it will be before we get more news to you. Wait here; if you have any money, and you're hungry, we have a small cafeteria nearby. Just ask the man at the counter for directions, okay sweetie?"

She then stood back up before ruffling his hair and walking away through a random hallway.

Frowning with loneliness and horror at the fact that he was completely alone, Squee hurried over to one of the many chairs in the lobby with his stuffed teddy bear before sitting down and waiting patiently, already knowing that his mother had died and his father was long gone.

* * *

><p>(1 hour and 29 minutes later)<p>

"Squee-gee!"

Snapping his heavy eyelids open, Todd's blurry vision focused and he found two familiar faces entering the lobby; Johnny and Madeleine had come to visit.

Rubbing more sleep out of his eyes, Squee shrunk into the soft cushion of the couch, desperately trying to fight of the fact that Scary Neighbor Man had come to visit him. As terrifying as the man was, and as gruesome his morals turned out to be, Johnny seemed fairly… considerate of Todd.

But this didn't keep Squee from being scared shit-less of the man. Besides, who WOULDN'T be afraid of a serial killer like him? He HURT PEOPLE AND KILLED THEM!

But realizing that Johnny was now married, he remembered Madeleine had found Johnny a fairly decent and comforting person to be around. How that worked, Todd would never know.

Squee remembered fully well his first meeting with the woman… she was EXTREMELY skinny for her age; skinnier than Scary N- Johnny was. Her cheekbones pressed against her pale skin, expressing her sharp facial features while her arms were those of noodles.

She tended to wear darker colors, like Johnny had, but every now and then, she would show up in a neon colored shirt or have absolutely no makeup on. She was a rather random person; different than the other public surroundings.

Squee didn't exactly understand attractiveness, but he knew fairly well that Maddie was a rather pretty person, considering she was a girl with a special style.

But despite her appearance, Madeleine was a very sweet and kind person. She had been the only person to give him a Christmas present, even if she was just a stranger to him. Maddie was just a comforting, loving human.

Squinting his eyes now, Todd looked back to the entrance to see Maddie and Johnny walking toward him with smiles and sympathetic faces. Madeleine, however, had a light shine of tears in her eyes as she walked toward him.

Johnny, now standing before him, sat on the carpeted floor beneath him along with Madeleine who did the same.

"Hey Todd… any news yet?"

Madeleine was the one to speak.

Dragging his tired eyes to the woman, Squee yawned and answered in a high voice, "I think mom's dead, but I dunno. They haven't told me anything, and I'm n-not supposed to talk to strangers…"

It was then that Squee's stomach churned with hunger, stating that he hadn't eaten since the night before, after the wedding.

Johnny, taking note of this, smiled and got up before looking to a sign that hung at the cross section of two hallways. Nny took his eyes back to Todd before suggesting in a warm tone, "how about we get something to eat; it seems that you haven't eaten in a while and I think they sell bagels here…"

Looking the man up and down, Squee gaped at the man, noticing how nicely he was acting towards him. No, it wasn't a pretend act; the scary man seemed pretty sincere in his words, so Todd hesitantly accepted the offer, waiting for Maddie to get up and take Squee to the cafeteria.

* * *

><p>(AUTHOR'S NOTE)<p>

AHAHAHAHAHA CONDOMS! AWKWARDNESS! I know you guys are probably DISGUSTED at me by this point, having added those and Johnny into the story…

But readers, do understand that it was supposed to be a joke from the aunt. But… to create MORE CONFLICTS, Johnny takes note that he is now in possession of these… oh, fuck.

Viewers Digression: I have made a promise to myself, NEVER to add a descriptive sex scene in my stories. NEVER WILL I MAKE THE JUMP to do that; I just can't bring myself to do it. I'd never forgive myself, nor would I be able to read another issue of JTHM ever the same way again… that is… unless you find yourselves comfortable enough with the idea…

I AM HOWEVER, mulling over the idea of IMPLYING that they did… I AM NOT FOR SURE, but it all depends on how short the story is, and exactly how I want it to end…

Understand that through the omen that Madeleine was given, it makes her hesitant and anxious at the option. She couldn't bear risking the chance… not with the way the supernatural forces of the house are messing with her dreams.

Message me what you think… have I gone a tad bit too far? Explain your answer and I'll try to answer your message with all meanings of respect. Have I hit the limit? Or… do you want more?

LET ME KNOW!

(Again…I am ranting…)

So… Todd is at the hospital, Johnny and Maddie visit for a minute, and now they are headed to the cafeteria.

Fun at the café awaits! Hope you

Lyrics: belong to Nickelback…

The song is called: Photograph

Any and all JTHM characters such as Johnny and Squee belong to Jhonen Vasquez, not me…

I own Madeleine.

REVIEW! YOUR DIGITAL COOKIE AWAITS!

"FUCKING DOUGHNUT! MOCK ME? YOU FRIED CYCLOPS!"

Happy Noodle Boy/ Johnny C./ Jhonen Vasquez


	7. Chapter 7

(MADELEINE'S POV)

*87 lbs.

The echo of Madeleine's black converse, Johnny's steel-toed boots and Squee's small sneakers sounded through the cafeteria as they puttered around, scanning the choices of shit- no, food there was to eat.

Maddie, being fairly hungry since she had vomited earlier, still despised food. It spiked the chance to have it talk to her; let the enemy slice away at the strings of her sanity. The voice never quieted when it came to the choice of food.

_Muffins, bagels, chips, mochas, lattes, biscuits, croissants, sausage patties, bacon; let it all sizzle and tear at your tongue. Let it snip, snip, snip at your innards and tug the skin at your abdomen. Indulge…_

Hanging her head, Madeleine let her eyes skim across the starchy foods, snacks and breakfast choices on the menu in the cafeteria, keeping a straight face as it's words picked in her ears.

Swallowing the bile that crept up her throat, Madeleine shuffled her feet before stepping back and signaling for Todd to go first since he was the main reason as to why they were there.

Dragging her eyes downcast, she spotted Squee watching the man at the counter with large eyes and a terrified expression. Bending down, Maddie questioned, "do you want me to order for you?"

The child nodded his head, squeezing his teddy bear, Shmee, before saying in a squeaky voice, "muffin…"

"One muffin please," Maddie said to the cashier before straightening her back and taking a look behind her to see Johnny, mulling around the café, already delighting himself with a Cherry Fizz-Whizz and a bagel in his other hand.

Smirking at this, she turned around and looked at the menu before letting her smile fall from her face.

_Taste the want; your tongue burns for it…_

Shaking with uneasiness, she couldn't quite figure out if the voice urged her to eat or experience another embarrassing feeling for Johnny. Gritting her teeth in refusal at the idea, Madeleine focused and picked out a random object on the menu.

"…and a blueberry scone. Add a small coffee to that and...," Maddie stopped mid-sentence before looking back down to Squee questioningly, "do you want anything to drink?"

Squee shook his head before looking back to the tiled floor beneath him.

"That's it…"

The cashier behind the granite counter replied in a dull voice, "that'll be six dollars and forty seven cents. Would you like this in a bag ma'am?"

Pulling out her wallet, Maddie shrugged, shaking her head before setting the required change on the counter.

After a few seconds, their food came out on a small tray: steaming cup of black coffee sitting on the side, Squee's banana-nut muffin and Madeleine's random choice of scone.

Blueberry Scone: 230 calories (estimated)

Chewing her lip while she narrowed her eyes, Maddie took the coffee in one hand while she held the tray with the other, passing Johnny and leading Todd to a small booth outside of the cafeteria.

Setting the food onto the table, Todd crawled onto one side of the booth before laying his bear on the far side of the table, away from the food.

Glancing behind her, Maddie waved her hand, catching Nny's attention before sitting in the booth opposite of Todd, scooting over to leave room for Johnny.

"Dig in, I guess," she said as she picked up her coffee, acknowledging Johnny's presence as he slid onto the seat beside her.

Todd took the muffin, staying quiet as his eyes stayed on the table, away from Johnny and Madeleine. Of course, every now and then, he would look up with a curious face before letting his eyes travel the area around them; they were in the dining area just next door to the hotel café.

"So…," Todd said in a light voice before looking up from his muffin, "if you both are… married now, aren't you supposed to have a… uh… er…"

The child pondered as he rose an eyebrow, watching the two with curiosity as he tried to finish his question, "a…. h-….. honey thing? A… honey… what's it called?"

Widening her eyes, Maddie finished Todd's question, "a honeymoon?"

The child nodded his head vigorously before stuffing another piece of the muffin in his mouth hungrily.

"Y'know…," Maddie looked over to Johnny with a confused face, while Johnny glanced at her.

Nny opened his mouth, but nothing came out, so he shut it, completely surprised at Todd's question. Maddie, too, was baffled by this, realizing that Johnny nor Maddie had made plans for a honeymoon; they never even considered the idea.

Staring at the black, steaming liquid before her, Maddie narrowed her eyes before answering in a soft voice, "actually, we haven't even thought about it… I guess…. I dunno."

Shrugging her shoulders, she cocked her head to the side before letting her eyes wander around the room, completely silent. Maddie propped her elbows onto the table, startling Todd, again, before lacing her fingers together and twiddling her thumbs.

Truthfully, Johnny and Maddie never even thought about the honeymoon. What were you supposed to DO during a honeymoon? Spend time together? If so, where would they go and what would they do, and how would it be any different than their regular lifestyle at home?

But Todd was right; almost every marriage had a honeymoon so they could spend some quality time with their new husband or wife. It was to be expected of a newlywed couple.

A sharp stab hit her abdomen, bringing Madeleine back to reality while her stomach cried out for attention. Frowning, Maddie narrowed her eyes as she glared at the tray that held her fresh blueberry scone. Damn it looked good…

Mouthwatering deliciousness…

Sighing, Maddie's eye twitched as Johnny nudged her with his elbow, suggesting that she start eating.

Recoiling from the suggestion, Maddie forced herself to reach out and grasp the pastry before setting it on a napkin before her, tearing off an extraordinarily small piece and stuffing it in her mouth. Daring not to waste any time tasting it, she swallowed it down whole before wiping the frown off her face and looking to Todd who was grazing off of his own muffin in a bored fashion.

The child set down his food, wiping his hands before placing them under the table, letting a tired and somewhat worried expression fall onto his facial features.

"Dad's gone, isn't he? The police took him somewhere, and Mom's dead… what now?"

Both Maddie and Johnny stopped eating and let their jaws drop, completely taken aback from the random question.

"I-…," Maddie started, but even she couldn't answer Todd this time. Madeleine remembered back to when the police officer spoke to her about Todd and his parents losing their parental rights to their child. He was to be put into an orphanage or foster custody until he was to be adopted from a family that was ready enough to take a child in their home.

But until that time, Madeleine had no idea. Todd was raced to the hospital with his dead mother in an ambulance, but he would probably have to be taken to an orphanage of some sort to continue his education and have shelter until the time being.

Madeleine frowned with discomfort at the fact that she was unable to answer Todd. She couldn't help him.

"We don't know the options yet; give the situation some time… you're father however is being sent to jail. Todd, sweetie… that was extremely wrong of him to hurt you like that; he committed the crime of child abuse… something no kid should have to endure. But let's not get into that, shall we?"

Taking a sip of her coffee before breaking off another piece of her scone, Madeleine changed the topic quickly, as if to keep the conversation in a rather happy mood.

"So, Squee-gee, have you bought anything with your Christmas present yet, or are you saving it for something big," Madeleine half smiled at the child before sticking the pastry piece into her mouth, desperately trying not to focus on how sickly sweet the doughy flavor was.

Todd's eyes lit up a little from the topic of his present before saying in a squeaky voice, "bought… this shirt," the child scooted out of the booth, flaunting off the shirt that he was wearing. It was a happy face shirt, the background color being lime green with a yellow smiley face on the front. On the back were bold, black letters that wrote, "smile: be glad you're not dead yet!"

Smiling, Maddie giggled with amusement while Johnny chuckled at the child's appearance, "the things kid's wear these days…"

Picking off another few pieces of the pastry, Maddie quickly devoured these in a few quick bites before she hiccupped loudly, scaring Todd and making him squeal in surprise.

"Sor-," she was cut off with another hiccup, and another shortly after that. She continued on, hiccupping while Squee crawled back into the booth, watching Madeleine and Johnny intently, a little more comfortable with them.

Biting her tongue, Madeleine tried to stop the sudden hiccups while holding her breath, thus turning her face a light shade of pink from the loss of air supply. After a few moments, she took a breath, getting the reassurance that the hiccups had stopped; the nuisance silenced and put to an end.

Looking back to Johnny and Todd, Maddie realized that they both were finished with their meal, and were waiting patiently for Madeleine to finish her blueberry scone which wasn't even halfway done. Drooping her shoulders, Madeleine sniffed and wrapped a napkin around the pastry before placing a plastic lid onto her coffee cup, "let's go do something; there's bound to be something here that's fun to do other than sit around a lobby."

Now, with all three of them standing on their feet, Madeleine took another bite of her scone before setting her coffee cup onto the table and raising a finger, signaling Johnny to wait.

Maddie hurried to the nearest restroom, still clutching onto the half of the blueberry scone she had in her hand before pushing herself through a swinging door and entering the women's restroom.

Tossing her leftover sugar segment in the trash, she hurried over to the sink, pulling off her gloves and turning on the faucet, washing her hands in cool water before splashing some onto her face.

It worried her how Todd wasn't reacting much to the current situation at hand. Usually, a young child like that would be bawling his eyes out, crying out for his mother or father for comfort, but perhaps Todd was just in a heavy state of shock.

But even so, Squee didn't talk much about the problem, other than wondering 'what next'. And to be honest, Madeleine didn't expect the question about the honeymoon either; it was something that she didn't even have time to think about. It was only the first day after their wedding, but Todd was right; they SHOULD be spending time together, somewhere, doing something different other than hanging in a hospital with a terrified child whose mother had just died and whose father was arrested for child abuse.

The complications that ran through her head, away from Todd's own conflicts were mind-ravaging as well. Why the HELL would her very own aunt send them condoms? Did she REALY mean it as a joke, and why would she CARE to send them? She was surprised they had even come to the ceremony at all.

One of the main reasons why she even left her family was because they abused her; it was ironic to have them send anything, not to mention condoms, through a wedding present. It was a sickening concept, but it happened all the same, infuriating her and stressing her that much more.

Splashing more water onto her face, Maddie wiped her dripping face and neck with a paper towel before looking at her face in a mirror, disgusted at herself.

_Love… a desire that longs to be touched… to be held… _

_Toss the waste, thrive within the shell that binds you to your fate._

Growling at the reflection in the mirror, Maddie looked at the woman up and down before picking at the hair tie that held her hair up loosely, pulling out the band and letting her wavy black hair fall to her shoulders.

Running her fingers through it so as to fix the majority of the tangles, Maddie continued to glare at her appearance. Honestly, Madeleine didn't care what she looked like, she just hated the numbers.

On the scale.

On the nutrition facts.

On the clock.

In her head; a ticking time bomb.

_So much to do, so much to say, so much to feel within such little time; the decisions, the possibilities, the reasons, the emotions…_

"Shut up…," Madeleine whispered to herself as she strode out of the bathroom, tearing her eyes away from the mirror and taking herself to the booth in which Todd and Johnny were waiting by, talking awkwardly. Todd had his eyes wide in caution, but his face was less strained; comfortable.

Johnny, however, was completely content with the fact that Todd was being well taken care of, and protected in Madeleine's and Johnny's watch. He sat on the booth, talking to the child with an intent face, but Madeleine couldn't tell what they were talking about; she was too far away to eavesdrop on their conversation.

But eavesdropping was a rude task in general, so Maddie passed this by, continuing towards them, trying to look as casual as possible.

Faking a smile, Maddie walked up to the table, reaching for her coffee before setting the other hand on her hip, trying to figure out where to go from there.

What fun could you have in a hospital?

Below her, Madeleine was startled by a loud "SQUEE," before Todd asked in a horrified tone,

"What happened to your ARMS?"

* * *

><p>(AUTHOR'S NOTE)<p>

Oh noes! Todd found out Maddie's secret! D:

Haha, no POV from Johnny in this one… oh well!

I am tired… so, I'll make this short, simple and sweet.

The italicized is the voice in Maddie's head…

I lagged at the end… it's because I'm tired…

Hmm… I'm already feeling deprived of romance… eh.

Disclaimer: Jhonen Vasquez owns JTHM and any characters of JTHM, not me. I own Madeleine.

My friend, Hala, said 'hi'….

(Dialogue between me and Hala)

Hala: *reading this story out loud to me in dramatic voice* "blah blah blah 'oh, I wouldn't quite say that…that red flush on your face is very _sexy'_… oh la la, you NAUGHTY NAUGHTY little girl…"

Me: *hangs head in shame* stop… you are taking this story to a WHOLE new level if you look at it from a pervert's point of view… just stop and kill me now…

Hala: Too bad; you must SUFFER!*continues on with the chapter in dramatic voice*

"I know you're hiding martians in your head! Gimme them martians! I am going to put butter on them! Martians… Grrr!"

Happy Noodle Boy/ Johnny C./ Jhonen Vasquez


	8. Chapter 8

(JOHNNY'S POV)

It had been a minute after Madeleine had left to go to the restroom, taking her scone with her.

Knowing Maddie, she was probably going to chuck the food in the trash, completely forgetting the hunger that screamed for attention.

But, with her gone, that left Squee-gee and Johnny standing alone, in the middle of the dining section of the hospital in complete, awkward silence.

Noticing this, Johnny smiled at Todd who clutched tightly onto his worn-down teddy bear, Shmee. Smirking at the last encounter with the little bear, Johnny thought back to when he had tore the fluff out of the stuffed animal with one of his very own knives.

Of course, that damn stuffed bear pissed him off, saying he was a terrorist without a heart, thus angering Johnny and forcing him to stab the toy.

Learning his lesson, Johnny stayed away from Shmee with all do respect.

Digressing off of the current flashback at hand, Johnny let his mind wander to Madeleine. There was something important going on tomorrow that had something to do with her, but Johnny couldn't quite put his finger on it…

Looking about the room, Nny spotted a room which was connected to the café, it's glass walls showing off what it had inside.

Of course, it was a gift shop with cards, stuffed animals, toys, flowers and balloons.

Balloons; that was it! Tomorrow was Madeleine's birthday; Johnny cursed himself for forgetting the memorable event before looking to the child below him, sparking up a conversation, "hey, Squee-gee, would you mind helping me?"

Nny bent down, studying a wide-eyed Squee before continuing on in a hushed whisper, "I don't know much about celebrations, but I know that you might help me. Tomorrow is Maddie's birthday; I have no idea whatsoever to get her; perhaps you have an idea?"

Squee's face brightened a little, but his eyes still held caution in them as he smiled, "ooh, it's her birthday tomorrow? Uhh…"

The child shrugged after a few moments of consideration before whispering back, "I dunno… you know Madeleine better than I do… are you going to throw her a party," he asked with a grimace on his face.

Johnny narrowed his eyes at the child questioningly before sitting back down in the booth, "I wasn't thinking about a party… but I could take her somewhere nice, maybe get her a gift. Besides, we don't know that many people to host a party."

"Don't girls like… diamonds or something? Jewelry? I dunno…," Todd said before looking away, spotting Maddie walking towards them.

Jewelry? Was Maddie the type to appreciate diamonds or anything like that?

Madeleine stopped before them, tugging at her shirt with one free, exposed hand while she leaned over the table to retrieve her coffee with the other hand. Placing one hand on her hip, Maddie turned back around to look at Johnny with an extremely tired and worn expression.

It was then that Todd squeaked loudly in alarm, making Maddie jump before interrogating Madeleine in a high voice, "What happened to your ARMS?"

"SHIT," Maddie whispered angrily before sticking the coffee back onto the table, realizing that she had left her arms exposed to publicity. Todd, however, had a shocked look on his face as he stared at the cuts that swelled on her arms, gaping at the damage.

Madeleine turned to Squee, putting on a sympathetic, yet painful face as she pulled out her gloves and tugged them back onto her wrists, hiding the swollen, gruesome scars.

"Squee-gee… it's a seriously long story. I might tell it to you sometime, about how I got these… cuts, but I'm afraid you won't understand. Don't worry kiddo, I'm fine," she said in an assuring voice before looking away from him with a slight shine of tears in her eyes.

Truthfully, Johnny wanted to comfort her right there and then instead of watching her eyes fill up with tears, but Madeleine had already started to walk off with her coffee, checking the hallway parallel to the cafeteria.

* * *

><p>(MADELEINE'S POV)<p>

Gritting her teeth, Maddie tensed as she studied the hallways and corridors of the hospital; she mumbled curses to herself as she tried to shrug off the intensifying awkwardness that radiated between her, Johnny and Squee, but came to no avail, only getting eerie silence as they found their way back to the lobby.

Pursing her lips, Madeleine's mind raced with mortifying names as her own conscience whispered them to herself, picking away at her eardrums and piercing the nerves in her neck. Her throat had started to swell as light tears picked at the rims of her eyelids.

Taking one last, deep breath, she looked through the blur that covered her eyes before noticing that they were standing right before the lobby, a frantic nurse looking about the room.

Cocking her head to the side, she watched the nurse with interest, desperately trying to drown out the noise that jumbled in her head: _bitch, whore, you know what you are…_

Madeleine jumped once again, hearing a light 'squee' sound behind her before Todd quickly grasped onto the calf of Madeleine's leg as a rush of doctors and medical surgeons raced past them with a patient who's head held the wound of a bullet.

The man in the bed continued to moan as his screams were muffled with a cloth.

Shielding her eyes, she looked back to the nurse who then spotted Todd clutching onto his teddy bear, hiding behind Maddie's leg, and mumbling jibberish about how the world was a good place.

Johnny snorted as he heard the child's mumbling, shuffling his feet before taking a spot at a nearby couch. The nurse, however, ran to Squee before looking at Madeleine.

"Miss, I'm sorry, but this child must come with me; he needs to visit his mother," her eyes held a rather sad tone in them as she shot Maddie a look, making her understand that this would probably be Todd's last time seeing his own mother in person.

After a second of consideration, Madeleine nodded slowly before setting herself into a crouch to face the child who had a sickly pale face now. He was staring at the ground, keeping his eyes from flashing from her wrists to her face, and back to the ground in a submissive state.

"Todd, sweetie…I don't exactly know what's going to happen, but I believe…that there will be a few men and women who will have to talk to you after you see your mommy. They will most likely meet you… either outside of your mom's room, or in the lobby, here, but they're just policemen. They'll ask you questions, and probably will take you somewhere," Maddie mumbled under her breath, _most likely an orphanage…_, before wiping her eyes and continuing with a wavering voice, "Todd, listen to me, everything will be fine. If you can call me in any possible way, whether it be using someone's cell phone, or a telephone, call this number."

Maddie took a pen off of the visitor desk before taking Todd's arm and carefully writing little numbers on his skin.

"It's all going to be okay…," Maddie took Squee in a warm, tight hug before letting him go, and stepping away, thus signaling for the nurse to take the child away.

"It's all going to be okay…"

Dragging her eyes to the hallway, she watched Todd grasp onto Shmee while his other hand was preoccupied with the nurses hand. The child, however, kept looking back with a wary lonliness in his eyes as he walked farther and farther down into the hall until they changed direction and turned left, disappearing behind the tiled corner.

Getting back on her feet, Maddie steadied herself as she rested the back of her hand on her forehead, feeling a few beads of sweat sketch on her clammy skin.

_Slice it open…no._

Locking her jaw, Maddie pressed her lips into a thin line, waving her hand in Johnny's direction to catch his attention before pacing to the exit of the hospital.

Her breath caught in her throat as she held back an unexpected sob. A wave of thorough emptiness washed through her as Todd's shocked and terrorized face left an imprint in her head. His large eyes staring at the mess on her pale skin; he wasn't supposed to know.

_Sketch it into your skin…NO….._

Popping her neck, Maddie held open the door for Johnny, leading the way back to the car as more hushed voices rammed into her ears, pushing out the sound of her comfort.

"J-Johnny…," Madeleine cleared her throat as she stopped at the car, glancing over her shoulder to look at Nny directly in the face, taking a few moments to figure out her words. WOULD everything be okay? Could she keep the noise out long enough to contain herself? What will happen to Todd? WHY did Aunt Darla send them condoms? Could Maddie even bring herself to…

"What's wrong, Maddie,…?"

Johnny walked a few paces closer, standing a foot away before he laid a hand on her head, narrowing his eyes as he tested her temperature. Madeleine just leaned into Johnny's cool hand before saying in a cracked voice, "will you drive us home?"

Maddie dug into her pocket before tugging out her keys and putting them into Johnny's hand before pulling away and opening the passenger door, getting in and laying her head on the cool glass.

_Taste it…want it… _

Grumbling to herself, she ground her teeth in a defensive fashion, ignoring the screams, whispers, and curses that mixed and tore into her mind.

First day after the marriage, and already she was dealing with the same familiar torment she was given so many years ago… but now with a murderous husband whom she couldn't help but love, a child with no parents and one of which was dead from drug overdose, a prophecy warning her of pregnancy, and Todd finally found out her secret. To top it all off, her own relatives sent her condoms as a wedding present; when or if she would use them, she would never know, but it just added to her stress.

Shutting her eyes, Madeleine mentally swayed Johnny's personal mixed CD, which held a collection of both classical and rock genre; the rock genre being dedicated for Maddie's own personal taste. But at the moment, it was just regular piano music playing a rather melancholy beat.

Biting her tongue from saying more, Maddie leaned back in her chair, imitating the notes of the piano with her fingers before her tension slowly but surely faded and she fell into a light sleep, swimming in clouds of grey. _Promise Reprise_ being a sedative to her…

"It's…..all going to be okay."

* * *

><p>(AUTHOR'S NOTE)<p>

I'M ALIVE!

But my chapters will probably take a lot longer to update… I do apologize, but highschool is terrifyingly busy, and I have had little to no time to my writing…

And for those of you who care… at all…. I have also been busy to do my new relationship with someone… (as useless as this is to the story, I am telling you this so you understand why it will take longer to update the chapters)

Okay, so…. Todd knows Maddie's curse of cutting, Maddie's feeling a little under the weather with all of the shit that storms around Todd, Johnny and herself, thus pressuring her and making her somewhat sad…

The song…Promise Reprise…is from the game Silent Hill. I have not actually played these, but I hear they're sickeningly awesome. I've seen the movie; scariest shit you'll ever see…

Disclaimer: I do not own Johnny or any JTHM characters; they belong to Jhonen Vasquez. I do not own the song Promise Reprise or Silent Hill. I do, however, own Madeleine and her crazy ass family who sent her condoms…

Horrid, no?

OMGZ, TOMORROW IS MADDIE'S B-DAY…. I wonder what will happen…? ;) you will see sooner or later…

I do, HIGHLY suggest that you listen to 'Promise Reprise', it's an amazing song, and it's only piano music; nothing more, nothing less; beautiful within it's own perfection.

I'm ranting…

So…What's Johnny gonna get for Madeleine's birthday?

REVIEW PLEASE!

"I HAVE POWERS ONLY PINTO BEANS COULD DREAM OF!"

Happy Noodle Boy/ Johnny C./ Jhonen Vasquez


	9. Chapter 9

**DEAR READERS,**

I apologize for not having updated this story for about a year. I know, anxious as you guys may be, I have many-MANY things scheduled for me these next few months; I'll try squeezing another chapter into my time so you guys can be satisfied.

I apologize for the inconvenience.

Thanks,

InvaderMads45321


	10. Chapter 10

(JOHNNY'S POV)

The engine of the car purred softly as Johnny tried to keep a leveled head. So many things crashed and tore at his head, casting upon him a headache and forcing the blood in his veins to pulse.

Shutting the door to the car, Nny strode over to the passenger's side, and carried an unconscious Madeleine back into their house where Johnny's least favorite person, no, burger boy, lay awaiting for him to speak with him in person.

Smoothing out Madeleine's hair, he locked the door to his car, and entered their dark, creaking house. Nny cringed at himself for being so disgustingly loving to his wife, still flabbergasted at the very fact that he was married.

Married…

Johnny studied Maddie's face as her eyes twitched; dreaming…

Setting her down on the black comforters of their bed, Johnny held back a hiss of frustration is the blood in his cheeks became a dark shade of red. Unknowingly, Nny let his pale, skinny fingers clench into a fist, his nails digging into the center of his palms.

Johnny didn't want to deal with a family matter. He couldn't bring himself to have sexual intercourse with a woman, nor could he even dare of letting his own revolting desires overcome his sanity; that is, if he had any sanity left in him at all.

Ignoring the nails that pierced into his flesh, Johnny backed away from his unconscious wife, whom seemed completely innocent and beautiful at once.

Johnny fled the house, pushing out the sound of Reverend Meat's persuading tone and averting his eyes from the box of condoms on the coffee table; the blood in his head throbbing and pounding in his ears, forcing him to stop on his porch and stand in the afternoon sunlight that was soon beginning to be blocked by a sea of black velvet. Catching a glimpse of the city beyond him, Johnny's vision sketched out the edges of medium sized buildings and long, glassy skyscrapers that dotted the land in the distance. Of course, as the weather there was threatening the beauty of the day; the air becoming more thick and humid.

Wrinkling his nose at the sight of the city, and the elements that hid the shit that thrived inside it's very own buildings, Johnny stood still, taking in the scent of rain and muddied ground.

Letting his eyes wander from the city, to the black swirling clouds coming in from the west, he sighed, questioning the very fact as to why he couldn't just have avoided emotion and lived life the way it was supposed to be lived, like Mr. Samsa.

Clearing his throat, Johnny walked out farther onto his lawn, automatically avoiding the small patches of loose soil and grass, gliding over random stones, finally hitting the car in his driveway. Pulling out the keys in his pocket, Nny fumbled with the unlock button, letting his eyes scan the Casil house once more; what color that was left in Johnny's pale face washed out, leaving him pale as ever before he retreated his eyes back to the car seat in which he began to sit in.

Inserting the keys into the ignition, Johnny picked around with the radio on the grey and black dashboard, skipping through several songs on Madeleine's playlist before he hit one he knew and liked fairly well.

Johnny's head continued to throb as he laid the back of his head onto the handle of the steering wheel, thinking _what next?_

Perhaps he should go back in, talk to Reverend Meat; he sometimes had ideas…

No, that would worsen his irritation and anxiety; more excess emotion was not what he needed at a time like this.

Eat something? Bring Madeleine something back when she wakes up from her nap?

Shrugging off that idea, seeing that he was fairly full, and Madeleine would probably push away the offer of any type of food, Johnny thought about Todd and his family.

What would that child be doing at this very moment; being driven to the orphanage after having a discussion with some random police man or woman about Todd's past life, talking about his parents and quietly asking questions with a terror-stricken face? Would he already be finding a room making a friend or would he still be at the very same hospital, staring at his mother's cold, dead corpse lying in a hospital bed?

Knitting his eyebrows together, Johnny frowned and recalled to when he had seen the large, crimson hand mark on the innocent child's face, the tears that welled up in Todd's eyes and the terrified, wobbling sound of his voice as he breathed out what had happened to Johnny not just a few hours ago.

He needed to clear out his mind; straighten himself out or else he would find himself broken down, pathetically crying in the front seat of his car and finding other negative reasons to hate his life.

Putting the car in reverse, Johnny screwed his eyes up to the mirror parallel to his face, and came up with an idea of what to do to get his mind off of the chaotic memory of earlier that morning.

* * *

><p>(MADELEINE'S POV)<p>

The pitter patter of rain tapping against the window had woken up Madeleine from her slumber. Light rumbles of thunder rang far away, and from what her eyes could see, the room was speckled with dark shadows- the raindrops making patterns upon the floorboards, reflecting from the window.

It, being the only window in the entire house without being covered with rotten wooden panels, shown a view of Todd's house and the darkening clouds emerging from further on.

Groaning from the realization that she had slept, she propped herself up and dragged her feet to the old floorboards beneath her. The last time Madeleine had dared sleep, the omen had made her stomach churn at the thought- sleeping caused nothing positive on her outlook on life… The baby had been the spawn from the monster that hid behind Johnny's wall…

Her mind flew back to when she had seen the wet crimson sliding down the wood panels, and when she had seen Johnny throwing vials at the barrier. She had remembered the sobbing as he chucked them, one by one…

Madeleine shivered at the thought of Johnny's victims that had been tortured only floors beneath her to quench _It's_ undying thirst.

Were the bodies still there? Have they decayed to the rotten stench and have they become as ugly and have molded to their true, disgusting form as their innards?

Has the wall and it's silent desires ceased or does it still continue on?

Realizing that she had been biting her lip to the bleeding point, Maddie stopped abruptly before pulling herself off the bed, exiting the room and shuffling her feet down a few flights of stairs.

A doorway to her left was shadowed and an eerie comfort which dragged her into the dank room.

Letting her hands trail along the wall, she found a switch a few feet from the entrance before switching it on and letting a pool of light infiltrate the large opening before her.

A hallway was laid out before her, but in tiny cupboards lining on the wall were knives, maces, old taizers, hedge clippers and other sharp material constructs. Bones littered the concrete floor beneath her, but no blood was to be seen anywhere; every crevice and hole was clear of the dried substance, yet the irony stench held the room in its silence.

At the end of the hall held a torn sign, saying, "If you can read this, you're probably not dead yet." Below was a yellow smiley face, and off to the side, below that, was a skeleton- its ribs cracked and fractured, poking into where his intestines should have been. The clothes on the body were still lying there, covering his Femur, Fibula and Tibula while his chest cavity was pried open with hooks and whatnot, showing the gruesome cracked chest and torso.

Perhaps the person deserved the punishment, but perhaps not, for Johnny had killed not only for the reason people were assholes, but to cover the demons behind the wall as well.

Maddie took a seat a few feet away from the skeleton after nudging a few bones away from under her.

It truly was disturbing how Johnny had been captivated and kept hostage from this habit of his own. His desires to silence someone's desperate screams, their pleading tones… completely insane, yet if he hadn't grown up without someone to love, he would've been someone different. He wouldn't have come across this house- he wouldn't have met the doughboys- he wouldn't have killed innocents- he wouldn't have met Madeleine….

And she wouldn't have continued living…

Madeleine whispered to the skeleton, not to talk to it, but to confide in herself with the truth of her life; "the road to Hell is always paved with good intentions…"

* * *

><p>(AUTHOR'S NOTE)<p>

Not very exciting, I know, but I've brought back the gore you've been wanting.

And I know, you probably hate me for not having updated in FOREVER, but school is a huge distracter, and so is my boyfriend. I'm going to try to update as much as I can this summer to help satisfy you fellow readers out there.

I've recently read over my latest work; its VERY VERY OOC. I'll try my best to make Johnny back to the way he was, and that's why I added Jimmy in there.

If you don't know who Jimmy is, GET TO READING THE SEVENTH ISSUE OF JTHM, NOW.

I know, this chapter isn't as long as the others, but I need you guys to help me out. PM me if you REALLY want me to put in what I suggested in chapter 6.

Copyright infringement: Johnny and all characters mentioned besides Madeleine and her family, belong solely to the Mighty JHONEN VASQUEZ! Not me.

I LOVE YOUR REVIEWS! GIMME SOME!

And remember, digital cookies are distributed to all who PM and review.

"Dear Die-ary…"

-Jhonen Vasquez/ Johnny the Homicidal Maniac


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